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The truth is out. There is no quick fix for your back pain — not in the way you have been conditioned to think of it. Back surgery has been shown to be ineffective most of the time, and often makes things worse. Epidurals and cortisone shots are temporary. And by now, everyone knows what happens when painkillers become a regular part of your life.
Back pain is a mystery. Research has shown that many people with bulging discs, degeneration, structural anomalies, or tears, have no pain and lead active lives. Conversely, many people who have no structural damage suffer from chronic pain. The late Dr. John Sarno, best-selling author of Healing Back Pain, stated that most back pain was emotionally based. Pilates people will tell you it’s your core. Physical therapists will say it’s your posture. But what if it’s a little bit of everything, with age and old injuries thrown in?
In Cathryn Jacobson Ramin’s book, Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry, Ramin tried everything to relieve her back pain, even submitting herself to surgery at the infamous Laser Spine Institute. After years of frustration, she found two approaches that helped: Back Pain Boot Camp and mindful movement. I don’t know about you, but given the choice, I’m not going for Boot Camp! In her list of mindful approaches, she credits the Feldenkrais Method as a useful approach for back pain.
Unlike traditional exercise, Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons use mindful movement to re-train your brain and nervous system. The movements are luxuriously slow and offer your body the opportunity to untangle pain patterns without stress. Most of the lessons are done lying down, often with eyes closed. It’s like giving your nervous system a spa treatment from the inside out.
Once you learn the movements, you can do them at home to maintain your spinal health. No doctors, no surgery, no drugs. Just a commitment to your own well-being. Try a free sample, and if you scroll down the page, there’s even a lesson for your spine.
More information on The Feldenkrais Method
Lavinia Plonka healed her own back pain using The Feldenkrais Method®. This inspired her to become a certified practitioner. Lavinia is considered a master teacher, as well as an internationally recognized expert in body language, offering workshops around the world. She is also the author of several bestselling books, including What Are You Afraid Of? A Body/Mind Approach to Courageous Living. Lavinia is director of Asheville Movement Center in NC, former Vice President of The North American Feldenkrais Guild and loves every opportunity to awaken people’s potential for joy. Lavinia lives by Moshe Feldenkrais’ maxim, “Movement is life. Without movement, life is unthinkable.”
