Day 6

Introduction to Holistic Pain Care

Really? Breathing? 

Really. Look, breathing cannot be overestimated when it comes to healing persistent pain. We’ve already discussed the role of the nervous system in perpetuating pain. Well, think of the breath, or the conscious control of the breath, as a direct influencer of nervous system activity.

Believe it or not, evidence supports awareness of the breath for influencing the nervous system and pain perception. As a yoga teacher though, I must say that evidence is sorely lacking on the vast and diverse breathing practices within the Yoga tradition and how they may affect the CNS. Until the science catches up, I will continue using breathing practices to help my clients as, at least anecdotally, it works.

This practice is just an introduction to breathing practices. Sometimes the most powerful thing is just becoming aware of the breath. I recommend that you do this practice a couple of times a day for 2 weeks. You will notice a difference.