How do I live a joyful life even with this pain?

I was asked this week how I “deal” with my pain.  Here’s what I have to say about this…

Because of a previous head injury, I have been experiencing thunderstorms and sledgehammers in my head non stop for over a decade. These types of migraines are so painful that they have been nicknamed the “suicide headaches”, as more people kill themselves from this type of chronic pain than any other. While we’re on this topic, each year more people end their lives because of chronic pain than depression. This is serious kids!

So how do I do it? How do I live a joyful life even with this pain?

Here’s my top 5 things:

#1. Education

“Decrease in pain starts with knowing about pain” - Brainman

All this new brain science is good news! 10 years ago, Drs did not know what they know now about pain science and the nervous system. It was difficult to be hopeful. Now doctors are beginning to understand pain more and more, and the information is readily accessible to all. Being educated about my nervous system and how pain works has contributed to reducing my pain and giving me hope that change is possible.

Tell it to me plain and simple though, my brain already has enough going on in there! Here’s a great little video explaining pain in 5 minutes. Love it!

#2. Daily Awareness Practice

"When we change our daily lives- the way we think, speak and act- we change the world." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

It is important to have a mind/body practice to consistently come back to day after day. This cultivates greater awareness of breath, body, thoughts, and emotions. And it is from this awareness that change can occur. I can not change anything that I don’t even know exists. My top 3 practices are Yoga, Meditation and Qigong. For you, it might be something different like prayer, gardening or dancing.

Daily practice also gives a sense of strength. Maybe I can’t work or walk my dog or visit my friends, but I can always come to my practice because it meets me where I am in that moment. No need to force anything, just notice what’s happening. Having some sort of practice that brings you to the present moment is fundamental in getting to know and caring for your pain.

#3. The Great Outdoors.

"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”  - John Burroughs

Nature is powerful. It just is. You can argue this, but you know it is true. When I feel awful, I go outside and something shifts. If I let myself really take in the surroundings, the smells, the sounds, the colours, the textures, I start to breath deeper and my whole body calms. I suddenly have a sense of the vastness around me and therefore the space around my pain. Make yourself go outside. Go ahead try it out. See what happens.

#4. Connection & Community.

"There is simply no pill that can replace human connection. There is no pharmacy that can fill the need for compassionate interaction with others. There is no panacea. The answer to human suffering is both within us and between us.”  Dr. Joanne Cacciatore

Pain is so very isolating. I can go into hermit mode very fast. And sometimes that is needed as a way to recharge. But too much time spent in my hobbit hole is never helpful. Connecting with others produces endorphins that are needed to reduce pain. The more hugs, the less pain. As fearful as I was to volunteer, once I did, I realized how much I needed to feel of service to my community. Connecting with people, being of service, reduces pain. It just does. But do it in a way that you can. Start small. Try little random acts of kindness.

#5. Ridiculousness! A Sense Of Humour.

“It is impossible to overcome passion, aggression, and ignorance with a long face. We have to cheer up. When you begin to see yourself fully and thoroughly, then you discover your sense of humor. It is not the same as telling bad jokes. Humour here is natural joy, the joy of reality.” ~Chogyum Trungpa

Being in pain gets serious real fast. I need to get a good dose of ridiculous each day. Maybe that’s dancing in front of the mirror, or playing pranks with my son, or singing out loud, or just having a playful time with friends. JUST BE RIDICULOUS! I dare you. Be silly for a second, shake out the serious. You can come back to it later. Notice what it would be like to approach your day with that childlike sense of wonder.

That’s it! So basically, learn about your pain as knowledge is powerful. Practice daily, awareness is the key. Go outside, connect with your community, and take a moment to laugh out loud and just be childlike.

“Be Kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” ~ Dalai Lama

Last note: If I was to choose just one thing to practice in my day, it would be kindness. Being kind to myself and others brings with it an authentic sense of Joy. This is the best therapy, and it’s free!

Wishing you all peace and a big dose of kindness!

Anie

My most challenging practice... drinking water!

"Pure water is the world’s first and foremost medicine." ~Slovakian Proverb

I don't need to tell you the benefits of drinking water. You've heard it all before. The question is, why is it so hard to actually drink the necessary amount of water?

Here is a simple little trick to get your body nice and hydrated first thing in the morning:

Place a tall glass (or mason jar, if you roll like that) of water  beside your bed at night. This way, you have the pure liquid goodness ready to go first thing in the morning. Your body is in super need of rehydration upon waking. Try drinking it before you even get out of bed.
Try it out! See what happens.... :)

Calming Breath for Fiery Times

I saw a great quote yesterday that said:

"Sometimes it's OK if the only thing you did today was breathe".

A little breath awareness goes a long way....

Here's a little video of a breathing exercise (Pranayama) called Anuloma Viloma or Alternate Nostril Breathing which is said to calm the mind and nervous system. This breath can feel very calming and grounding in the season ruled by the fire element, summertime!




 


 Try it out! See what happens...

Honouring what was in 2012

In our Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy groups there is a theme we explore that I feel is appropriate for this time of year. The theme is Flow, which means that really there is never a conclusion, that the beginning of one thing rests in the end of the thing before it.

"Consider that there is a metaphorical birth and death process to living, where old ways of being in the world, that use to serve us very well, no longer do, so we make the choice to let them die, so that something new, a new way of being in the world, new belief about ourselves can be born and tried on in day-to-day life."Elissa Cobb - PRYT CD

Looking back at the year 2012, your road travelled, notice all the things that have served you well. To what extent can you honour what was? Notice what has earned the right to die, to be let go.

Shedding old skin can sometimes make you feel all shiny and new. It can also leave you feeling raw and vulnerable. Neither is better or best. It is helpful to notice what's happening for you so that you can move forward with choices that serve you best.

As you make your New Year resolutions, consider what it would be like to wear a new skin, a new way of being, even if there's an edge around it. What would serve you best in 2012? What would you like to explore, experience, receive?

What we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning, the end is where we start from. T.S. Eliot

Happy New Year everyone!

#1 Stress Reducer: Breathing!

photo source: shawnzrossi, Flickr, creative commons

To what extent are you able to connect with your breath, right now, in this moment? What does your breath have to say about the state of your being right now?

Obviously we are constantly breathing, but are we consciously breathing? Taking a few moments to connect with the rythmn of your breath can almost instantly calm your nervous system. A little breath awareness goes a long way!

Elizabeth Scott explores the question: "Is it possible to effectively relieve stress by just changing one thing?"

The answer is YES! Just breathe!

Learning stress relief breathing may just be my number-one stress reducer recommendation, because it can be used quickly and easily by just about anyone, at any time and in any place. You can use stress-relief breathing when you’re still in the middle of a stressful situation, and in doing so you can reverse your stress response and change your whole experience of a stressful situation. You can also do breathing exercises at any time during the day when you realize that you’re stressed, and calm your body right then and there.

Read full blog here: Breathing As Stress Reducer

My favourite breath exercise, used in PRYT, is the Falling-Out Breath.
So simple! Stop what you're doing. Take a big breath in through your nose and let it out through your mouth like a sigh. Haaaaaaa... Much better!

A brand new day, a brand new way of being with myself

Today is the day before a brand new day, a brand new way of being with myself, no matter what the outcome.
To all of those who have stood by me, in the flesh or through the ethers, thank-you. I'm taking a piece of your beautiful wisdom in my little pocket as I walk down the path of healing. Life is amazing! The light always shows up, even in the darkest places. We are that light.

The Early Bird gets more than just the worm

Photo Source: Bruce McKay~YSP, Flicker, Creative Commons

4 weeks ago, I put out an Early Bird Yoga challenge. Students came to Yoga class 4 days a week for a month, early in the morning (7am-9am). For most of them this means coming in just before work. The results of this challenge have been more than I could have ever hoped for.

All of the participants expressed how it has changed their outlook on work and life in general. They feel more awake, more focused, less rushed and more capable of dealing with the stresses that show up in their day.

Apparently this in not an isolated case:

University of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout before going to work - or exercised during lunchbreaks - were better equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095783/People-exercise-work-days-happier-suffer-stress-productive.html#ixzz1dRcxAN1k

Just your luck! The Early Bird Challenge continues in January! Contact Mountain Waters for more info.