“You don’t need fixing.”
-- Greg Lehman, physiotherapist, chiropractor and strength and conditioning specialist
I studied with Greg Lehman as part of a yoga and strengthening course I took with Kathryn Bruni Young. I learned so much about pain science!
How often have you struggled physically (or mentally) and thought, “My body (or brain) has got to get fixed!”? I’ve been there many, many times.
Now obviously, if you have a broken bone, tear, or severe sprain, you’re gonna want to get that fixed! Likewise, if you are dealing with mental health issues, please see a qualified therapist. But once you’ve done those things and have them under control, what if you are still struggling a little bit? Your yoga practice can help you build resilience to a variety of physical and mental challenges.
How, you might ask?
Well, a thoughtful, mindful, slow-paced physical practice can help you gain greater body awareness and truly learn what movements make your body feel good. This awareness can perhaps help you better manage persistent pain. For example, when trying a variety of yoga poses, you might discover that folding forward really helps with your low back pain. Or that externally rotating your shoulder is what hurts your arm. And if you are truly present in your body physically, your mind focuses on that instead of some of the intrusive thoughts rattling around in your head!
Breathing techniques and meditation are also forms of yoga: it’s not just the warrior poses and slow stretches! Calming breathing techniques help settle the body and the mind, activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Meditation takes practice, but over time can truly help you pause an unhelpful train of thoughts. Meditation does not have to last for several minutes to be effective! Focusing on your breath for five seconds is a great place to start. You can always build up to longer periods of time.
So please remember that you do not need fixing. You are a perfect human being who just might benefit from some yoga to help live your life to its fullest!