Here are some specific directions to help relieve chronic pain:
- Checking in: Notice your body and describe what stands out, rather than focusing on what you want or hope it will do. You can start sitting comfortably in a chair, on the floor, or lying down. Be as specific as possible in your description. Try to avoid emotional platitudes, which can sometimes confuse your physical body. Making this distinction between what we think we “should” feel and what we “do” feel gives your nervous system what it needs to guide you with feedback. If you do not get feedback, that is normal for beginners. Beginners want to know how to do it right. If you don’t feel anything, it’s not because there is nothing to feel. You are looking for the answer ahead of time.
- There are two cues you can use once you check in. Ask yourself if you notice your breathing or if you feel the weight of any parts of your body. What stands out to you?
The check-in process takes about 15 to 20 seconds. Think of it as a first impression—a way to distinguish between thinking about the body and feeling your physical self. You can do this anywhere and at any time. You take your body with you wherever you go, so why not practice this in any moment? You can do it on a train, sitting at your desk, or out to dinner with friends.
It’s not hard to do; it’s just unfamiliar. As you begin to use this more, you will receive feedback from your body. If you notice you’re getting uncomfortable or your back hurts, your body will make adjustments.
How Does This Break the Cycle of Pain?
Most of us spend our lives thinking about our bodies, noticing where they might hurt, feeling anxious, and focusing on where we want to go. Few of us truly feel our bodies as they are in this moment; we often force them to move in a certain way or sit or lie down in specific “correct” positions. I encourage you to notice if you’re doing that, because it’s unsustainable. Your body knows how to sit stand and move. It will rebel against being forced to being held in superficial ways.
If you notice your shoulders are raised up to your ears or you’re holding your breath, you can then ask yourself to simply “stop” doing that. It takes a lot of effort to hold your breath and to keep parts of your body tense because that is what you are used to. You begin to learn there are options. Many of us confuse this with relaxing. I would use the cues feel the weight, notice if you’re holding your breath. Otherwise, we get focused again on the need to feel better, rather than simply to feel.
Our bodies rebel against all this thinking because they’re not being attended to. Imagine if you had a pet or a child: if you only thought about feeding the pet but got distracted, or thought about taking your child to school but didn’t do it.
Many people are stuck with what someone else told them about their bodies—the way they should sit, stand, or move. This simple process can change chronic pain because the missing link is feeling what you are doing rather than what you think you should do.
A miraculous thing happens when you truly feel your physical body: you get a response from your body. It might not be the response you want, but you will receive feedback. This is something real, and then you can begin to apply the method. This is your body’s method. The more you incorporate basic elements of this method into your initial check-in, the more your body will continue to provide feedback.
A Brief Note About Feedback
Many people, when they receive feedback that isn’t positive, are convinced they are headed in the wrong direction. What’s even more confusing is when people become very emotional about their responses, elevating simple physical sensations to life-and-death emergencies. I know I was good at that. My ultimate goal was to suppress all feelings, which meant I was blocking a tremendous amount of feedback my body was trying to give me.
Remember, your body knows balance, how to breathe, how to move, and how to alleviate anxieties. However, we often fear our bodies. We have disconnected ourselves through an inaccurate emotional narrative.
After your initial check-in, notice specifics like breathing or if you are lying down, how your weight rests on the floor. Your entire body experiences sensation because you are moving through space and breathing. This is something we all start out doing when we learn to sit, stand, and walk. Just watch a baby lift its head for the first time.
Breathing cues,
Then begin to exhale with a “Haaaaaaa” sound. Let gravity help your jaw open. Do it gently. Then give a few moments for any breathing responses. Repeat this on and off for five minutes. What are some ways your body responds? Notice I am not saying how your body should respond or how you should sit.
Feel the Weight of your Body,
Use Whole-Body movements, like bending forward, to improve circulation throughout your body by feeling the weight and letting yourself breathe naturally. When you return to sitting, is your body giving you any feedback about how to sit differently?
You have only two choices: remain in your habits or allow your body to do what it knows how to do. Learn and experience movement again.
I encourage you to try a class, attend a free webinar, learn more.
Go to miracleballmethod.com and sign up for our Next Free Webinar: Change the Course of the Way You Exercise: Tight Hamstrings, Stiff Back Muscles, Knee Problems?