It is a pretty safe assumption that when your pain is bad, you hold your breath. Bring awareness to the moments this happens, because it is making your pain worse. Along with breath holding, muscle tension increases, and now your nervous system has even more proof that you need protection: so it makes more pain! Sometimes even THINKING about pain or stressful things can lead us down this cycle of holding the breath. Continuous breath = Less Pain.

Chronic pain patients have reported increased ability to manage/control their pain through this breathing practice. It can be done throughout the day, when you’re trying to relax or even performing gentle movement. Have a look at this youtube video which describes how do it:

Video explaining Ujjayi breath

Learn the best way to breath, and check out this book by James Nestor called Breath. He reads the audiobook himself, I highly recommend it if you listen to audiobooks!

Breath the book, on Audible

There are positions which provide relief for ALL bodies in pain, through trial and error we can find your most restorative positions for your body.

Example Resting Position for Sciatic Pain

Example Standing Twist Position for Unilateral Pain

Create a neck roll with a blanket, towel or a small round bolster, and place it under the neck while laying on your back so that your neck is fully supported.

neck roll from huggermugger.com

Proper placement

Place the seat of a chair under your calves as you lay on the floor, and place a folded blanket under your sacrum.

Legs on chair

Have you ever considered that what you eat could be contributing to the amount of pain you are experiencing? Have you ever been surprised by the amount of pain you felt in your joints to later realize that the increase follows having consumed dairy or gluten? We can aim to eat an anti-inflammatory diet but the fact is that all our bodies are different and what causes inflammation in one person is not the same as another…

Recommended Pain Diet Research Paper

Food Pyramid Graphic

Pain is an output of the brain, when pain has become chronic you get very good at making these outputs. What are your inputs? Such inputs are 100% specific you, your body, your past experiences, your present situation, etc. Ask yourself, what are the biggest stressors in my life right now? Which of these can be eliminated? How can I minimize the ones I can't eliminate? Are there toxic relationships I can leave or take a break from? Can I make changes to my daily routine to incorporate self-care practices?

Take a deep dive into all of your pain-influencing factors with this handbook written by the leading researchers of chronic pain…

Learn what influences your pain with this book

So many of us have pain along the spine and may be favoring moving the spine in certain directions, while completely avoiding others. Have you heard the expression “move it or lose it?” Well that applies here. Check out this flyer with images of people in all 6 directions of the spine.

6 spinal movements