Chronic Pain and the Rubik’s Cube?

By Lelia Brannen

Chronic pain IS a Rubik’s cube. The whole body is connected, we spend hours and days turning the

cube to find relief from the pain moving through our body, mind, and emotions. Aligning all these

colored squares in the cube to find some relief of pain can be an everyday challenge.

Chronic pain is complex and subjective, individuals experience pain at many different levels. Studies

show pain experienced longer than three months can be diagnosed as Chronic Pain. Chronic pain

examples could be back or neck pain, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, the list

goes on. I do not personally have chronic pain, but my recent bout with a tooth ache sent me on my

way to turning my rubik’s cube of pain. Fortunately, breathing exercises, meditation and relaxation

helped work my way through the pain, until I was able to resolve the issue through a dentist (two

months later, might I add ☹.) Truly the aim in yoga is to restore health of the body and peace of mind,

want to give it a try? Come join us on Tuesday, September 26, at 5:30 p.m.

We will look at chronic pain and how our brain reacts to pain, dive into the emotions and expectations

of dealing with our pain. We will learn breathing exercises to use throughout the day, meditation to

connect to our brain and body sensations and move mindfully through gentle yoga poses and yes! end

with relaxation and self-study! Most important we will support and learn from each other.

I’ll be primarily referencing from two books:

“Yoga for pain relief” by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.

“Relax into Yoga for Chronic Pain” by Jim & Kim Carson and Carol Krucoff.

Interested in working through the Rubik’s cube of chronic Pain?

Let’s Get Better Together - Giving yourself permission is the first step!

Namaste’