I’m currently in the recovery phase from the back pain I’ve had for over a month.
Below you’ll find my tips, exercises, and approach that helps me with this.
Pain Management
Number 1 is the pain, the constant pain that makes it almost impossible to think, sit, lie down, walk, or sleep. There’s no position without pain. My system can’t tolerate painkillers long-term, so I have to find ways to manage pain without them.
-> Breathe deeply and calmly, open the chakras, and keep them flowing. And chant to supply the organs with sufficient Qi. (I’ll make a recording/lesson of the chant and chakra meditation soon.)
The better the energy flows in my body, the better the organs and chakras can keep my body balanced, and the better the self-healing process can function. The more I relax, the less the nerves that send pain signals are stimulated.
Movement
Pain causes cramping, cramping causes stagnation, making the body stiffer and less mobile. Muscles are used less and lose strength.
I had damage to a tendon and its attachment, so these needed rest to heal. But the rest of my body, 98% of the time, simply needs to keep moving to keep the Qi flowing and keep me healthy.
-> Move calmly and slowly, doing all the movements I would normally do without back pain. At the same time, feel where the damage is and give it the rest it needs to heal properly. Special Qigong exercises focus on strengthening the back and keeping the meridians and joints open.
This is the Body & Mind method, and I currently only offer private lessons in this method. This requires a lot of inward awareness and being present in everything you do.
Mind and Emotions
This back pain was caused by an injury and a cold that came in from outside. But that begs the question, why now? Could I have prevented this? And what is needed to prevent a recurrence?
-> I’m exploring what the cold symbolizes, and what the spot in my body, the lower base chakra, represents. I’m analyzing my dreams for themes and old pain. Meditation with the stones helps me maintain direction in this process. (I’ve already made a recording of this meditation and put it in the shop.)
The stones, part of the earth, help me explore my grounding and what trauma plays a role in this back pain. I’m discovering that a major trauma is still holding my system in place, and that I now need to release it. I’ll talk about this trauma in a later blog post.
-> I don’t let the emotions that arise during trauma processing take over by meditating frequently while walking in nature. The energy of nature provides stability, stability, and focus. I allow my emotions to flow away in nature.
Clearing and Letting Go
The trauma I have was inflicted on me by someone. I delete everything related to that time and person from my computer, work, thoughts, bookshelves, and life. I make sure I no longer dwell on that event. At least not intentionally. When thoughts arise, I let them come and make sure I can let them go. I form my own judgment about what happened and then let them go.
If I wanted to, I could formulate many questions about the event, hold the person accountable, ask other people involved why they didn’t intervene, investigate exactly how it could have happened, search for other victims, etc., etc.
I deliberately don’t do this. I keep my mind occupied with my recovery and healing, and why something happened. The answers don’t help my healing; only I can do that myself.
Keeping to myself
I keep my recovery close to my heart: those animals, my partner, and my therapist. Talking about it with others who are more distant is time I’d rather spend meditating and healing. Sending and repeating my pain out into the world isn’t really my thing. (This is personal; there are plenty of people for whom sharing their pain with as many people as possible helps, everything is okay.)
My story
And yet, I’ve decided to share my story, as if in a therapeutic way. Because I’ve been afraid of this person for years and afraid of the consequences if I share my story. So I’m going to share it in a future blog post. To feel that I’m no longer afraid. And you can always delete a blog post when it’s served its purpose.
A good cup of tea gives me inspiration.💫
If you like my blogs you can thank me by buying me a cup of tea. 🙏 or one of my meditations or Qigong practices in my shop.
Karina’s Praktijk | School voor Qigong – www.ardite.org