Back Pain and Stopping the Pain [Part 1]

At least they are honest....

First of all it’s not your fault…pain is never anyone fault.  One way to look at pain is that it is purely feedback…something is wrong and needs attention.  Don’t kill the messenger?  Don’t suppress the pain.  Now this is relative and if you are like me, we can rationalize anything into the ground…I don’t mean that you should not take medication or anti-inflammatory…there is a time and a place for medication…just don’t over use or abuse them and you will be OK.

So what are the steps for correcting movements?  Just because you have pain doesn’t mean you should stop moving, you actually have to move more than before, just in many more variations and possibilities than you were previously moving.  Using all of these new deviations will be important to help correct your progress.  don’t suppress these movements and variations, don’t force them, don’t strain, the ease of movement will become a bit more of a process building exercise for you to navigate through the challenges into the clear.

Move More?

You are crazy…my back is killing me!  Well I hate to tell you but the first premise is that you have to move more.  Your nervous system’s is soooo involved with movement..not only involved but occupied…like ADD occupied.  Movement is the main language of the brain (your bran) and you will need to utilize this piece of information to your benefit.  All of our sensations are based around movement.  It’s a miracle that we even stand!  But all of the elaborate actions that our brain negotiates and initiates holds us together and upright and in control of our limbs.

Quality of Movement

It is pretty easy for us to distinguish the quality of movement.  Many of us from an early age know how our parents look and feel.  A child can spot their parent from across the room and just from how that parent moves or interacts with other people the child’s parent can be confirmed.  Have you ever spotted somebody from the back and thought it was a friend and then suddenly it struck you…”it’s not them.” and you freeze in your tracks and go back to what you were doing?  you know how a person moves and how well they move just based on their limbs, how they swing, how they hold themselves, and their own unique movements.  the movement you will need to get you out of pain is soft, gentle, easy and comfortable.  At first fast will be out of the question, but as you progress and move forward speed will become part of who you are again.

The Richness of Movement

We all have a huge capacity for movement…and we have a lot of experience with movement as well.  it can always get better.  Feldenkrais would say that we have more capacity for movement than for feeling or thought.  Many people suppress their thoughts (“I am not good enough”), some suppress their feelings (“she will be mad at me if I say something”) all because we want to avoid unwanted situations…but movement…we all move and it’s important to keep it going!

Sow what do we do with these three pieces of information:

1. Move More? Move more but move small.  Try as many variations as you can think of with one movement.  Can you do the movement sitting in a chair, lying on your stomach, on your side, your other side, on your head?  Get creative…just follow the next piece of advice…
2. Quality of Movement. Move gentle.  Move soft.  Move in ways without strain.  Move in ways that you can only imagine.  Make sure the effort is there in your mind but not in your physical movement.
3. The Richness of Movement. Each movement will have a given range of motion to it…why use the whole thing? You need not move large or big or fast in order to have a significant impact on your nervous system.  If you are lifting your arm for example, you can move very slow and feel a tremendous amount of information going to your brain from your limbs, how it relates to gravity, the weight of your arm…the sheer amount of information is staggering if you pay attention to as many factors as you can think of…the whole “range”  is filled with endless amounts of feedback you can learn from and appreciate…

So what?

Try this:  Lie on your back with your arms at your side.  Bend your knees and have your feet flat on the floor.  Begin with an inhale and gently (without strain or effort) press the tip of your tailbone down into the floor.  Just the tip of your tailbone.  Each time you inhale and press your tailbone down make the movement slightly larger so that eventually your back will arch.  Notice that it can take you a long time to appreciate the slight range slowly becoming larger…and how much information you gain from small gentle and soft movements.  Repeat this 20 times and each time think of how the variations of effort and softness change, the quality of movement is enhanced, and that the richness is endless only to be determined by your curiosity and patience!

Tell me what you know and what you have found out…charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and States of Human Existence (Sleep or Awake?)

In between Sleep and Waking....super cute

There are two states of where we human beings live our lives…being awake…and being asleep.  Not too much wiggle;e room here.  There’s some transition phases…”falling” asleep…and could we say “rising” awake (?)…but for the most part…it’s one or the other.

There is another state that can for some be a bit ambiguous…but is probably (I say “probably” to be polite…cuz it really IS) the most important piece.  It’s Awareness” and this is where the power of The Feldenkrais Method and The Anat Baniel Method come in.

I love this example Moshe Feldenkrais gives: A man at 40 years old is made aware that one of his legs is “shorter” than the other.  He has back pain, hip pain, maybe leg pain.  An MD takes X-rays…diagnosis = short leg.  Now before we get into all the intricacies (i.e tilted pelvis, external rotation of hip, ankle injury, scoliosis, etc), lets acknowledge that this is sometimes where the conversation starts.  So for 40 years this persons waking state is more like the sleeping state…he has just not been “aware” of these changes in his body for some time…and “suddenly…as if by magic these “pains” have come about.  What was the straw that broke the chickens back/  chicken?  chickens don’t carry straw…Ok camel.  Just seeing if you were paying attention.  A better question is” “how long has this person had a lack of awareness of ones self that have led to this conundrum?”  We all have it…really…but for long?

The Components of the Waking State

As we have noticed before in a previous post there are 4 components of the waking state: Sensation, Feeling, Thought, and Movement.

1. Movement: temporal and spatial changes in the state of your body and its parts, breathing, eating, speaking, circulation, pumping heart, pressure, distraction, digestion.
2. Sensation: the five basic senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing), and the kinesthetic sense (pain, orientation in space, passage of time, rhythm, etc)…what about ESP?
3. Feeling:  Joy, grief, anger, happiness, sadness, sefl-respect, body image, sensitivity, conscious and unconscious emotions that color our lives
4. Thought:  all functions of intellect, opposition of right and left, good and bad, right and wrong, understanding, recognizing rules.

Now…you cant separate any of these pieces…except maybe as Feldenkrais points out in speech…but I still see that as movement 9especially if you talk with your hands…studies have shown that gestures make you more effective in getting your point across as well as thinking more clearly).  All of these capacities are all employed together…you are a dynamic system.

So how do you make corrections in your life and in your body that help to make lasting change?  Tune in tomorrow…thi is gonna be really good…

Thoughts?  Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and Sensroy Motor Amnesia-”Where Comfort Hides”

The simple book, Where Comfort Hides, shares what is known within the holistic community – the fast paced, high tech, information age in which we live is drawing our attention outward in a way that is causing us harm. We have been overlooking our innate ability to stop the epidemic of lower back pain and to reduce the impact of stress. Children are unnecessarily experiencing back, neck, and joint pain, and shallow breathing. You will be guided to the understanding that while stress is named as one of the common factors in many conditions and diseases, it is our loss of sensory awareness that makes us so vulnerable to stress. Where Comfort Hides provides simple, clearly-illustrated movements for children and

adults to prevent and release the buildup of muscular tension in the core – the area most vulnerable to stress, anxiety, and injury. After the initial lessons, a brief movement routine will reinforce sensory motor self-awareness to maintain and improve comfort and control throughout life.

Here’s the best part…a good and honest person wrote this…and she’s a good friend.  She means well, is caring, and only wants you to know that life is possible and the joy of living pain free is in reach for everyone!

You will want to add this one to your library…seriously: http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bookdisplay.aspx?bookid=44444Back Pain and

Great Book Ya’ll!!!!

Back Pain and Change…do you like it?

Today is gonna be short….there is a great article I read on “change.”  How much do you like to change?  My guess is not much…change is scary, hard, difficult…and involves a huge emotional component to it all.  What I have noticed in working with people is that if you make the change too significant…it will not stick.  It will be unattainable.  It will falter.  Success will not happen.  Change needs to be gradual and above all attainable to work.  it cannot be too far of a reach from where you currently stand…otherwise you could slip and fall off that wagon.

Check it out: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/94/open_change-or-die.htmlBack

Now that’s a lot of cash-ola!

Back Pain and Human Development

This amazing event is seamless...amazing...and beyond our control

The Strata of Development

Isn’t it amazing?  The event is seamless…we couldn’t control each even if we tried.  There is too much going on and the amount of entropy in the system would be too much for our brains to handle…so it just flows along its own course.

If you think about it…do you know how you learned to stand?  To crawl?  To roll over?  Do you know how you stand now?  You may know that  it is not comfortable, but how do you do it?

Moshe Feldenkrais defined development into three stages:

1. The Natural Way
2. The Individual Way
3. Method and Profession

The Natural Way

For the most part, we all get to the same place in movement in the same way.  We babble and it becomes speech…and in some people multiple types of speech.  We roll over and it becomes walking…because I want to get to that shiny thing in the corner of the room as fast as I can.  We rest…and yes…we all rest.  All natural activities…and even more than described above…happen seamlessly as we develop.  How do we get there?  How do most of the humans on the earth develop in much the same way and follow the same path?  And yet there are certain outliers in human beings that make us individuals.

The Individual Way

This is the fascinating part…the individual way.  Even though we all do mostly the same thing, there are small differences…and these small differences make a huge impact on the world.  When there is a slight change in the way that something is accomplished..it may become viral.  Viral in a good way.  It may be a unique and special way of crawling…of running…of jumping… of doing a task that is different from the Natural Way…and yet it has advantages.  When it has advantages over the Natural Way it catches on.  People take notice and try it…it is adopted by others and maybe more progressive changes are added.  How about this for an example: Dick Fosbury.

Fosbury was born in Portland Oregon and first started experimenting with this new technique at age 16, while attending high school in Medford.  He disliked the dominant style of the day and began experimenting with the another outdated method o the high jump.  Fosbury won the 1968 NCAA title using his new modified technique, as well as the U.S. Olympic Trials.

At the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he took the gold medal and set (not only set, but crushed the old record) a new Olympic Record at 2.24 meters (7 feet 4.25 inches), displaying the potential of the new technique. Despite the initial skeptical reactions from the high jumping community, the “Fosbury Flop” quickly gained acceptance and is the current standard for the High Jump…it was viral.  From a motor coordination standpoint the Flop allows athletes of a slender build to use great coordination (not strength) to a greater mechanical effect and jump higher without risking injury.  Coordination…not strength…anybody get that?  Anybody?  Bueller…..

Method and Profession

The third stage is that the process, the Natural Way and the Individual Way becomes defined in a specific method…graduated steps…a linear path.  We see this all the time in jobs and work…you will learn to do it “this “was first…then maybe if you are good enough (or smart enough to lead the employ) you will develop your own method…your own experience and natural way and then individual process.  How many times have you started a process…your own process…and then been told that you are all wrong?  How would you have known?  Somebody else told you…otherwise you would have adjusted to the feedback (Individual Way) and carried on (Method and Profession).

So…in your life…look back and see how you have developed naturally…then in some aspect added your own flavor…and then allowed it to become part of you.  It a powerful part of The Feldenkrais Method and The Anat Baniel Method…because you are allowed…NO…given permission to explore your natural way that may have escaped you.  then after playing with the Natural Way you apply your own flavor and ideas…and then apply that to your life!

Holy Cow…so important.  How does being given permission to experiment make you feel?  Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and Self Image [Part 7] What holds you back?

The basic tendancies of most human beings is to grow and develop to the limits of what they need in society and social circles.  We grow based upon the demand we place on ourselves…so what’s holding you back?

Some of it is physiology…some of it is discipline.  You could say that “if you don’t use it, you lose it”…you could also say that “if you never had it…you might never get it.”  I think the second one is kind of a cop out…because there are plenty of expereinces in life that I have never had…but I’d give it a try if given the shot.  Maybe in your life you have accessed some cells in your nervous system, but for some crazy reason a block of cells has been inhibited…if this is the case then maybe these cells will get “pruned” and removed from the nervous system pathways…maybe they will never reach maturity…then what?  Use?  Disuse?

One way to increase your self-image is to use as many pathways as possible…laugh, cry, be depressed, be happy, be sad, feel, be aware…blast your live with variation and possibilities and your brain will respond in spades.

Try this:

1. Add variations to your life. do the same stuff you have been doing, but do it in a different way.  Open doors with your non-dominant had.  Brush your teeth with your opposite hand…switch sides with your mouse.  Have a different view of your “normal” life and your brain will go “Hmmmmm.”
2. “I wonder…”  Instead of knowing the outcome try and see it from another perspective.  There are always two sides to the story anyway…so why not ask yourself “I wonder if….”  The “I Wonder Perspective” will allow you to be free of the outcome or goal and focus more on the curiosity of it all…after all things do get more interesting after you stare at them for a while and open the curiosity doors of your mind.
3. Be Disciplined. Recognize the difference between an opportunity to try something new and an opportunity to be lazy. “Spontaneously” deciding to watch reruns instead of finishing your to-do list shows a lack of discipline. Have the discipline to ignore familiar temptations and the courage to pursue the unknown.
4. Are You Lateral or Vertical Today? Vertical growth requires more focus and planning. Lateral growth requires spontaneity. Knowing which phase of the cycle you’re in can make it easier to choose between focusing on work or pursuing new opportunities.
5. Seed Your Future. Most opportunities for spontaneity don’t start out big. It could be as simple as saying “Hello” or signing up for a class you know nothing about (The Anat Baniel Method or Feldenkrais anyone?). Improvising requires planting many seeds, even if only a few decide to sprout.
7. Eliminate the Unfun. Get rid of boring activities that don’t add value to your life. TV isn’t just eating away at your productivity, its draining away the motivation to do something fun. Clearing out the boring activities from your life creates the urge to explore.
8. Motivation Conquers Fear. If you can get yourself incredibly curious about an idea, that can be enough to break out of your comfort zone. Ignore the voices of doubt when you first get an idea. New ideas take time to mature, so if you kill them immediately with the first objection, they can never be realized.

How big will an oak tree grow?….as big as it can.  Spontaneity is not the opposite of planning.  The opposite of spontaneity is cowardice. Fear, not planning, is the real barrier. Where productivity requires discipline and organization, spontaneity requires courage and openness.

Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and Self Image [Part 6]-Potential

What does "Potential" mean to you?

“Potential” is a funny word. It’s origins  are from Middle English and the Late Latin word “potentia” meaning power.  By definition potential means “having or showing the capacity to develop into something in the future.”  This is interesting…so by definition we will all develop into “something.”  But what?

Enter the self-image.  How we hold ourselves, what we hear, what we feel, what we sense, how people talk to us, how we talk to ourselves, the people we hang out with, the mentors we have, the positive and negative aspects we encounter in life…all add up to form our potential.

For example, language..a skill most learn by hearing, observation, by immersion is improved only until we can make ourselves understood by those around us…and then no more.  If you want to be an actor (or political actor) and deliver skilled speech, you will need to study speech delivery, text, tone, body language, etc) in order to convey the most clear message.  Think about it, when was the last time you practiced talking clearly?  We speak in a manner to be understood and then fill in the blanks when we are asked to clarify…maybe the other person in the conversation can is very good at filling in the blanks so therefore there is less questions, and the communication continues.

By the way…what do you consider human potential?  Meditation?  Is the Dalai Lama the pinnacle of potential?  Is potential defined by athletic events?  Is it defined by flexibility?  Speed and a fast 5K?  Endurance and a 100M run?  How about the Ironman?  What about peace of mind?  Potential can be defined in many ways…but check your filter.  Personally I think there needs to be a balance in all of that and look at the whole human and figure out where they want to go.

If the idea of our potential is limitless then our self-image is smaller.  How deeply we believe in ourselves is a big way to carry out where we want to go in life.  As an example…right now I have been fighting a summer head cold…it suck.  I feel crummy, my body aches, I am tired.  Not really eating that much.  My self image is small, I feel “shrunken” down and my goals that I have set for myself seem far off and unfathomable…in this moment I can’t get there, but I can still chip away, step back and look for another way, rest, recover and build a plan for when I do come out of the fog and hit the ground running.

Nobody knows the purpose of life, but we pass on education and information to the next generation in the form of habits and thought sometimes no better than our prevailing genration…we can’t ignore the socail difficulties brought on by the masses of human beings on the earth but we can be a bit more carful in how we put information in the hanfds of our little ones.  Build upon the self-image of those building theirs and allow them AND yourself to be more than “something in the future” but to be somebody now.

How to foster your own potential:

1. Never, ever, ever stop learning.
2. Be curious.  Examine everything.  See things through the eyes of a child.  Stare at the grass.
3. Be engaged with those around you.
4. Feel.  Notice when you are touched, touch others, and how it affects your soma.  Notice the wind on your skin.
5. Sense.  Become aware of how other peoples actions influence your life and your decisions.
6. Think.  Foster your own ideas.  Don’t toe the line because there is a line.
7. Move.  Walk, stretch, roll on the ground, get out of the chair, swim, ride a bike.
8. Read.  Read something you enjoy and try new things.
9. Be enthusiastic.  Life is short, enjoy it while you can…besides, what and who is holding you back?
10. Love.  Your world will vastly expand when you have meaningful relationships.
11. Pull yourself above the line of despair.  We all dive below the line…it’s how fast you pull yourself up that is important.

How do you change your potential?  Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and Self Image [Part 5] Self Talk

What do you say to yourself?

A good friend of mine (Kristi Dowler) sent me a short note in regards to my last article on the use of language with those around you and she very nicely pointed out that we also need to choose the language of how we talk with ourselves wisely!  She is sooooo right because who is our strongest critic?  The one that resides between our ears and sees what we see in the mirror.

Before we go any farther…if you are into fitness and health for yourself and are female or know of anyone female in the San Francisco Bay Area that is into health and fitness you need to see my friend Kristi.  She and her company, Vayar, will help you take it to the next level.  Seriously…check it out.

So how do we generate self talk that is positive and constructive?  First let’s find out what is important for you.  We all have different needs, values, expectations, and desires, but when it comes down to it, most can be distilled into 5-8 areas.  Sit down and reeeeeallly think of the areas of your life that are important…for example, here are the important areas of my life: home and work, physical well-being, relationships, community, and finances.  Once you know the important areas (whether you are successful in them or not) you can build Positive Personal Statements around them to help reinforce your desires or beliefs.

Forming Beliefs and Shifting the Critic

Lets take the priorities in my life as an example and form some positive statements:

1. Priority: Home and work.  I use the image and statement of: “I am living the life of my dreams.”
2. Priority: Physical well-being.  I use the image and statement of: ” I am in optimal health.”
3. Priority: Relationships.  I use the image and statement of: “I am in love with my life and my family.”
4. Priority: Community.  I use the image and statement of: ” I am a valued member of my church”
5. Priority: Finances.  I use the image and statement of: “Money comes freely easily and often.”

These Positive Personal Statements need to connect to who you are, positive, and have an ability to shift your emotional state.  What areas of your life are the most important to you?

When do you use these statements? The best time is when you are feeling down, feeling low, feeling “below the line.”  Use your own words and emotionally charged statements to bring you up and back into a state where you can feel and be effective.  I would start by saying them in the morning and in the evening…and then through the day as you need to remain upbeat and effective!

Replace Negative Statements: A good way to stop a bad habit is to replace it with something better. Once you’re aware of your internal dialogue, here are some ways to change it:

• Milder Wording: Have you ever been to a hospital and noticed how the nurses talk about ‘discomfort’ instead of ‘pain’? This is generally done because ‘pain’ is a much more powerful word, and discussing your ‘pain’ level can actually make your experience of it more intense than if you’re discussing your ‘discomfort’ level. You can try this strategy in your daily life. In your self-talk, turning more powerful negative words to more neutral ones can actually help neutralize your experience. Instead of using words like ‘hate’ and ‘angry’ (as in, “I hate traffic! It makes me so angry!”), you can use words like ‘don’t like’ and ‘annoyed’ (“I don’t like traffic; it makes me annoyed,” sounds much milder, doesn’t it?)
• Change Negative to Neutral or Positive: As you find yourself mentally complaining about something, rethink your assumptions. Are you assuming something is a negative event when it isn’t, necessarily? (For example, having your plans cancelled at the last minute can be seen as a negative, but what you do with your newly-freed schedule can be what you make of it.) The next time you find yourself stressing about something or deciding you’re not up to a challenge, stop and rethink, and see if you can come up with a neutral or positive replacement.
• Change Self-Limiting Statements to Questions: Self-limiting statements like “I can’t handle this!” or “This is impossible!” are particularly damaging because they increase your stress in a given situation and they stop you from searching for solutions. The next time you find yourself thinking something that limits the possibilities of a given situation, turn it into a question. Doesn’t “How can I handle this?” or “How is this possible?” sound more hopeful and open up your imagination to new possibilities?

Go on…get out there…be nice to yourself!  Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

PS:  Isn’t it a bit scary how much I look like Dave Attell in my self-portrait?

Back Pain and The Self Image [Part 4]-Language

We are a reflection of what we experience

How do you talk with the people around you?  Or better yet…how do you talk with the children around you?

Each piece of the self-image are all a puzzle section to what comprises “us” as individuals and forms the “me” or “I” you see in the mirror.

This weekend I drove into Boston for a seminar on movement analysis by Gray Cook and Lee Burton.  It was fantastic…and what was interesting is that lots of the philosophy presented was stuff I believe in so it melded my experience with my beliefs…always nice.

On the way home I was listening to NPR and This American Life. In this episode (“Going Big”) it was talking about the Harlem Children’s Zone, and its CEO and president, Geoffrey Canada. Among the project’s many facets is Baby College, an 8-week program where young parents and parents-to-be learn how to help their children get the education they need to be successful. Tough’s just-published book about Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem’s Children Zone is called Whatever It Takes.

One of the most interesting stats quoted was that children up to age three of parents in the upper and middle class hear between 300,000 and 500,000 words of praise and 50,000 to 80,000 words of criticism…in families with less economic distinction that number was reversed. How would your life be different if most of the words you heard up until age three were critical?  How about if it were praise?  What would your self image look like if we drew it out?  Would you feel good about yourself or would you feel meaningless?  Self worth or worthless?
The power of language is so vitally important in forming the the brain that we can look at MRI’s of those that speak multiple languages and see a significant difference between those that only speak one.  Just like movement helps the brain to grow and thrive so does thought, feeling, and sensation.  If one of these is held back or diminished the brain does not live and thrive to its true potential.

Become aware of how you talk “to” and “with” children (there IS a difference between the two)…their brains and self-image depend on it.  Also become aware and more practice with how we talk with those adults around us…for sometimes words bring out the kids inside us that are wrapped in adult skin.

Thoughts, feelings, sensations and movement are appreciated: Charlie@4seasonfitness.com

Back Pain and the Self Image [Part 3]

Pressure to perform can make your head pop

So yesterday I sat under a blasting AC in an all day seminar….it kept me awake, I was engaged, I payed attention…and now I have a head cold.  My self-image has been hijacked by sickness.  See the previous post to see how sickness can throw you off…I can say that I feel like this picture though…puffy head, skinny neck, temple pressure. Hmmm…might have to hit the NyQuil tonight for some crazy dream time.  Let me digress.

Since we have found that our self image has been defined by Movement, Sensation, Felling, and Thinking we can also say that our self-image is formed by our interaction of our inner world with the external environment (outer world).

Every woman's nightmare...all lips and grabby hands

As an infant we put things in our mouths…lots of things…OK…everything. It is in this way that the infant establishes contact with the external world.  Check the picture up top and notice that the lips and and mouth hands have a massive distribution of neurons designated to the sensation of the lips and hands.  From here the infant will gain a better understanding of the world and in turn the self (or is it the other way around?), their body parts and most importantly the relationship of body parts to each other.  These experiences will gain the infants notion of distance and volume…time…and the discovery of time will begin later with the conscious coordination of breathing (stopping, starting, holding) and swallowing (which are connected to the lips, mouth, jaw, nostrils, and other close by areas (check the picture).

Back pain jumps into this equation by the exploration of self and the outside world.  We crawl we fall, we stand we fall, we roll on the floor…and then at some point when we thing we “get it” or are over it…we stop exploring.  We buy into the fact that we are too busy to play…we habituate…we back slide…and things miraculously fall apart.  It’s not miracle, it is the unbinding of the core behavioral movement patterns that we were blessed with from the beginning but don’t play with anymore because  our ass gets stuffed into the back of a chair for too long.  Get out, get up, roll around…life will be better…and maybe my head wont feel as congested.

Love your thoughts, bring the noise, but not too loud, my head still hurts.  Charlie@4seasonfitness.com.