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My Inside Thoughts: Pain and Reflection


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Pain. It’s an interesting thing.

 

For weeks I have been harboring a hip flexor “injury.” And I’m not even sure where it came from. This means that every time I lift my leg and every time that I step with a wide stance, my front part of my left hip sends me some communication in the form of a tight jolt of spasm. And to be very honest, this communication can get a lot of attention from my mind as I move through my day. It sometimes keeps me from moving and sometimes it makes me fumble when I would otherwise continue in my spritely ways. 

 

A “wee” bit on how yoga philosophy addresses pain in the body.

Now the short-of-the-long eastern philosophy around the body is that our body is divided into hemispheres- left and right – and there are 7 points of energy on the body. (FYI, there are more, but there are 7 main ones). I once had a medical professional tell me that these areas do correlate with highly important collection of nerve plexus, making the point that these areas are physiological significant as well.

 

The systems of energy align with the following parts of your body:

1.        Base of the spine– root

2.        Tailbone area  - production

3.        Abdomen – confidence

4.        Heart – compassion

5.        Throat – communication

6.        Between the eyebrows – intuition

7.        Crown of the head – connection to the [insert spiritual power here]

 

The right side of the body, in yoga traditions, is considered your side of output and action. This is the side correlated with the sun “get ‘er done” mentality. The left, as you might imagine, is the opposite: calm, cool, collected, restful. Passive.

 

Interpreting the data.

Sometimes I use the Eastern Philosophy to interpret my pain. In some ways, it feels like I’m pulling tarot cards of prediction and iteration directly from my body.

 

Now for me, similar to reading one’s horoscope or Chinese Zodiac animal, I consider these as but gentle suggestions for my consideration as I reflect on my pain or discomfort. Which means, I take none of this information at literal value and instead interpret everything through the metaphor of the theory.

 

My hip. My reflection.

In my practice, I am (currently and constantly) exploring the communication from my left hip. In doing so, there are questions that I turn over in my mind. I might consider, “Where are there blockages or overages in my production?” or “Am I exerting too much productivity? Am I doing enough?” I use this classification system to consider my life and the choices and actions I am taking. I consider how my actions might be effecting my body.

 

The next question in this process might be even more important because it is the part of yoga that allows us to self-maintain and keep ourselves healthy. Whenever I experience pain or discomfort I ask myself, “What should I do so that I can balance the imbalance?” as well as, “What physical actions should I take to curb and support the pain and discomfort I am feeling?”

 

Now, whether or not you subscribe to this belief that our body produces messages for us that indicate our physiological and mental well-being is really beside the point that I would like the make.

 

Because the point is in the reflection. When we reflect, we act, pause and consider, and then re-adjust. By practicing this experience of reflecting and modifying our action, we practice yoga in it’s truest forms. It is this definition of “mindfulness” that brings us the kind allows us to move (mostly) with grace and compassion through the world.

 

That is because nothing we do with repetition is on accident. Everything has a meaning; everything has a purpose.

 

Applying this mental process to the physical body.

As we consider the uncomfortable and sometimes painful experiences that our bodies are delivering, how can we move to help maintain the absolutely unavoidable wear and tear we put on our bodies? How can we move to shift the awareness from the pain we are experiencing, to see past that immediacy to the space where we can strengthen and regain the strength and agility that the injury is threatening? And our time on our mat is where we devote that mental energy to action, reflection, and adjustment. It is more than a physical exercise, it is training for the mind in self-regulation and reflection.

 

So as you consider where you are in your body or your mind are today, consider the communication. With or without the eastern philosophy, it is important to consider where our bodies are communicating, what the implication is, and consider the way to adjust or modify so as to improve the condition.

 

 



 
 
 

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