THE
TOOL
Stream of consciousness writing requires the following:
A timer
set for 10 minutes
Several sheets of paper and a pen
An initial question, like "Tell me, old friend, what can I do
to help you?"
Begin to write
without stopping. Do not punctuate or cross your T's. Write whatever
comes, even if it doesn't make any sense at the time. If you cannot
think what to say, you can write your initial question or gibberish.
The rule is: do not stop writing until the timer goes off.
The
reason this tool works so well is, we are not inviting the mind to
participate. The answers will come from the subconscious mind. This
is a very revealing process. Please try this tool at least once.
Less
Pain and More Flexibility Through Yoga
(Winter 2003)
Energy fuels
our muscles, allowing us to move. We move slowly and with effort when
our energy is low, and more easily with ample energy. Pain alone can
lower our source of energy.
When energy
in the muscles is blocked, poor circulation and pain result. The muscle
energy becomes sluggish, as if we were driving down a three-lane freeway
that suddenly merges into a single lane. This detour of energy can
lead to more pain and sometimes the sensation of coldness.
Yoga is
an extremely effective way to move congested muscle energy with the
benefits happening over time. For those in pain, yoga cannot be approached
as the able-bodied person would. We are able-bodied too, but we have
pain that must be honored and respected. For example, instead of going
into a stretch, we move slowly, until we feel the slightest bit of
resistance to the movement. We stay behind the sensation of additional
pain. We already have pain; there is no value in feeling more.
In this
article, we will learn the spinal twist or spinal rotation, since
the spine tends to stiffen after an injury or with chronic pain. Begin
this exercise in a relaxed, sitting posture, in a chair or on the
floor.
Whether
on the floor or in a chair, remain upright and twist by looking over
your shoulder and rotating in the same direction. Test your mobility
in each direction. Begin moving in the direction where you felt the
greatest range. We call this, moving in the direction of ease. When
you move in the direction of ease, it helps the opposite direction
to open.
When you
feel a slight resistance, stop, hold the posture and take 3 to 4 gentle
breaths. The breath opens, softens and helps lengthen the muscles
and soft tissue, creating an exit point for blocked energy. The next
time you’ll be able to rotate your spine further. Repeat this
process in each direction just two times.
Next, warm
up the spine by shifting your weight in all directions. This immediately
increases circulation to the spine and surrounding areas. Check your
range of motion again. You may notice that even now, you can rotate
further.
In the beginning,
10-15 minutes of yoga per day, with rest periods between each repetition,
is an excellent start. As you feel the benefits of less pain and more
energy, you may find yourself naturally doing yoga for longer periods.
What
is Pain and Can I Do Anything to Relieve it?
(Sept 2003)
Stop and take a breath in between
"doing," since most of us use "doing" to mask
the pain. When we take a moment or two along with 3 gentle inhales
and exhales, we will notice that our bodies are filled with sensation.
Pain is the sensation that speaks
with the loudest voice, which Echart Tolle describes in his book,
The Power of Now, a required reading for level I, II, & III Meditation
groups (see class offerings for dates and times). The Pain Body is
where we store negative messages from the past, as well as, doubts
and fears about the future. The greater the intensity of the pain,
the louder the body's voice becomes. Beyond all else, pain is a communication
from our bodies to us.
When we do not listen, the pain
becomes like the six-year old child, following us from room to room,
as its internal voice becomes louder and louder. If we continue to
ignore this internal communicator, it becomes like a household of
one-year old children screaming at the top of their lungs, with full
body rigidity. We cannot ignore the pain much longer, for with each
scream, the pain increases.
When we become acutely aware of
our pain, it will tell us clearly that it needs our full attention.
As we continue to listen, the Pain Body will tell us exactly what
type of help it needs to reduce the sensation we call pain.
Pain is due to parts of the skeleton
that at this time cannot move. Pain also represents shortened muscle
and tissue that get in the way of skeletal range of motion. These
points of physical sensation have a direct impact on the energy moving
through our bodies. Energy may be blocked, congested or diverted around
the pain.
The cardinal rule of all the tools I share is to never move in your
pain. Always stay behind the very first signal. We cannot reduce our
pain level by experiencing more pain.
STOP what you are currently doing.
Sit down or lay down in your most comfortable position. Tune into
your breathing pattern. For 15 minutes, inhale at a comfortable depth
for you. Allow the lungs to determine the timing of each inhale. As
the lungs dispel the exhale, most importantly, allow your exhale to
leave your body softly. This means, giving up control of your exhale,
without limiting it or trying to change it, in any way that you are
now breathing.
My experience is that the breath
is attracted to the pain and the pain is attracted to the breath.
Consequently, it is important to eliminate all mental pictures of
pain you experienced in the past, or pain that you fear you may experience
in the future. Pain only lives in present time reality, which gives
it smaller boundaries and makes our pain smaller.
(Regi Boehme was a clinician,
consultant, and teacher at Orlanu Therapies. Please call our office
and visit our website for suggestions to reduce your sensation of
pain.)
Breathe
Your Pain Away
(Autumn 2003)
Chronic Pain has a direct impact on all aspects
of our bodies.
The reactions I describe in this
article are initially unconscious. After reading about the reactions
to our pain, our awareness will be increased and we will find successful
ways to reduce our pain. However, first it's important to understand
our reactions to pain.
1. First it changes our breath.
We tend to shorten either the inhale, the exhale, or both. Our exhale,
or "out-breath", and inhale, or "in-breath", may
become out of balance with each other. As we identify this imbalance
in our breath, we must stop and refocus on either the exhale or the
inhale. For the inhale, stop taking breaths temporarily. We do not
hold our breaths, but rather, simply wait for our body to take its
breath, naturally.
On the next exhale, we focus on
just letting the breath naturally leave our body.
Then, imagine the breath flowing
down your spine. Let each exhale fall completely and easily, like
clear blue water, down through the top of our head, down our spine
to our sacrum (base of our spine), before our next breath. This will
help us to feel grounded and less panicked by the pain. Either of
these techniques will give you enough space and time to avoid a mental
response to your pain.
2. Next, we naturally use some
holding pattern in our body that mirrors the holding patterns of our
breath. These, too, are reactions that are not consciously under our
mental control.
We may, subtly, lift and tighten
the muscles of our shoulders, along with the muscles of our neck that
are attached to our shoulders. This initial subtle reaction may become
stronger in response to our pain level, subsequently increasing our
pain level another notch. Some of us may clench our jaws or tighten
the muscles of our low back.
The critical factor about this
chain of events is that it begins with our breathing pattern and,
thus, we can begin to change it by just catching ourselves in the
middle of the series of events. We can create a shift breath into
a more, useful, less global pattern. Breaking this pattern begins
with conscious recognition.
3. Can we change this reaction
to pain? Yes, quite easily, in fact.
First and foremost, we must become
aware of the current imbalance in our breathing pattern. This imbalance
will feel like it's hard to breathe. Mentally there is a feeling of
panic because its harder to take a deep breath.
As we identify this imbalance in our breath, we must stop, refocus
and simply, wait for our body to take its next breath, naturally.
It is important not to struggle with correcting our breathing pattern.
Allowing the breath to come at its own time will correct the imbalance
effortlessly.
As we allow our in breath and our
out breath to happen naturally, the muscles respond by softening.
The breath is attracted to tense muscles, just as tense muscles are
attracted to our breath as it softens.
4. This is not a time to add a
physical exercise. Breaking an unconscious pattern and making it a
conscious one is challenging enough. Changing this full body response
to pain can be done the moment we become aware of it, whether we are
doing household duties, caring for our children, working at our computer,
or living our lives actively and fully.
5. If you can, buy yourself a journal.
This is a monthly article and we'll use it often in our work together.
This month's suggestion is to write down the time and date each time
you become aware of your unconscious pattern. The moment you become
aware of this pattern, it will happen less and less frequently. You
have one month to break a long-standing fully body response to pain.
If you need support you can contact Orlanu as soon as possible.
