Pain management clinics are as common as Yoga studios here in Southern California. Another clinic is opening up just down the road. I’d bet the majority of people are going there for back or neck pain, as these are the complaints I hear most often in teaching Yoga to the 50+ community.
So, I am always on the look-out for different approaches, ideas and strategies for relieving pain. I so believe in the mind-body connection, and I was intrigued by the book entitled “Healing Back Pain Naturally: The Mind-Body Connection” by Dr. John Sarno. This book has been around for awhile, but it sheds a new light on WHY our thoughts and emotions cause us physical pain. Once we acknowledge and accept them rather than suppress them (Yep! The proverbial “letting go!”), we can perhapsbanish back pain for good. Dr. Sarno speaks specifically about what emotions cause us the most pain in his thought-provoking book.
Taking this theme into my Chair Yoga class with a roomful of 50+-ers, I shared some of Dr. Sarno’s philosophies and some effective stretches and movements to help relieve pain. We had some surprise visitors to this class which made it more special than normal. Thanks Debbie and Jamie (who found us on YouTube) for joining in!