We are finishing our mental health series today. If you missed our 3 other episodes, check out #70: Yoga for Stress and Anxiety, and #72 Yoga for Mental Health. You also got a deep dive and practice of alternate nostril breathing on our Premium Membership on Patreon for #71, as a tool to deal with stressful times.
Today is a special episode. I do not have a guest. I wanted to do this episode and talk about my journey with chronic pain and mental health and how yoga has been part of my healing.
1- Stress affects directly your pain, and your pain affects every aspect of your life. Addressing stress will help manage the physical, mental and emotional consequence of being in constant pain and will reduce the pain at the source.
2- No matter the type of pain you have, there are things you can do to support your body: food & supplement, gentle exercise, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, talk therapy, meditation, visualization, sleep/rest and breath are all great tools to experiment with.
3- You can live joyfully despite the pain. As you acknowledge your pain, learn to listen to what it's trying to tell you, and stay curious and kind, you will start to understand the pain, how it affects you and which strategies help you the most. That creates agency and empowerment and helps you move out of hopelessness.
4- There's hope. Nobody knows your body better than you. No matter what your situation is, there's a way. Doctors are human like you and me and might not have all the answers. Seek help but don't abandon your power in the process.
5- There's a clear link between mental health and chronic pain. It's important to acknowledge your emotions, experience them & process them. On the other hand, you also need to see the big picture and focus on the good. Practice acceptance, gratitude and loving kindness.
As always, I really appreciate your support with this podcast. Have you checked out our new Instagram page @onandoffyourmatpodcast already? We are starting all the way back from the beginning, revising every single episode! So come by and follow us so you can catch up on all the episodes you missed and their content or get reminders from your favorite episodes! You can also continue to support this show through Patreon as i mentioned before. For as low as 5$ a month you get access to more content, exclusive episodes, tutorials, guided meditations and more, and in the 2nd and 3rd tiers, you get access to some or all the classes we’ve recorded on zoom and continue to record during the shelter in place. So, if you’d like to have access to all this including the episode on alternate nostril breathing to help you detress, please visit www.patreon.com/onandoffyourmat and become a PREMIUM member on the tier of your choice.
Erika is a yoga teacher, the host and producer of On & Off Your Mat Podcast and a transformational life coach. Being a teacher is part of who she is, and she uses yoga, podcasting and life coaching as different entry points all aiming to help her students and clients build a happier, healthier and more peaceful life. Her radiant spirit and engaging sense of humour creates light-hearted practices focused on awareness, intentional movement and self-care. She empowers her students and clients awaken to themselves, become embodied and build the life of their dreams.
Website : www.erikabelanger.com
IG :@erika.belanger & @onandoffyourmatpodcast
Email and share your story : erika.belanger@gmail.com
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