I have a secret, I have pain every day.  Yes, chronic pain.

I have been a Physical Therapist, Educator, and Researcher for over 30 years.  But it wasn’t until I began using Yoga and Mindfulness in my personal practice that I truly blossomed as both a person and as a professional.  

A few years ago I attended a weekend retreat with the theme of “Empathy”.   As a physical therapist for many years, I received training in empathy, so I went into the weekend thinking I would mostly benefit from the “yoga”. But these words from the retreat leader changed me forever:

“You can’t have empathy for anyone, unless you have empathy for yourself”

She gave us homework for the evening to listen to the inner voice that holds us back.  And what I heard was:

“You’re not good enough”

I had heard that voice before, but turned away from it over and over again. But now, fully committed to the self-study process of yoga, I decided to try and understand where that voice came from. Here’s what I learned…

Being adopted as an infant, my first subconscious thoughts were…”I’m crying and no one is listening”. You see, I lived in a hospital nursery for 18 days following my birth. The trauma of those first few weeks, manifested into a deeper sense of believing…”You’re not good enough”.

That belief had held me back in many relationships.  But what I didn’t realize until I investigated it further, was how that belief had held me back in all aspects of my life AND contributed to my chronic pain.

With this new awareness, came compassion and hope.  I knew that as I developed more compassion for myself that I could begin to heal.

Since that weekend retreat, I have come to realize the power of the mind and influence of our emotions on pain.  I recognize that we have both external sources of pain, like poor posture, but we also have internal dilemmas as the source of pain, like fear, worry and unmet expectations.

So I ask you to be curious: “What is the deep inner voice that is holding you back?”  “Can you listen to that inner voice with compassion?”

So now, rather than struggling with pain,  I take action! I use Yoga and Mindfulness to be fully aware.  I see my pain now as information about what is going on with not just the body but also with the mind and spirit. Instead of pushing the pain (physical and emotional) aside, I take action to deal with what is right in front of me in the moment.  With this practice, I notice my long-held aches and pains dissipating. 

I now LIVE MORE with much LESS PAIN!

Watch more about my story on a Facebook LIVE video!

Join me on the Path to PEACE out of PAIN

Together, let's explore the interaction of the body, mind and spirit to develop compassion and truly heal.