Last week we’ve looked at BPS (BioPsychoSocial) model of understanding and addressing chronic pain and other on-going disorders.

The premise of this different – new to many of us – approach is that it accounts for beliefs, feelings, and emotions of the PERSON experiencing pain, so the treatment protocol is build around and with that personal experience in mind.

My experience of digging myself out of the chronic pain pit is not at all unique… Figuring out how to move forward took many exhausting years and a whole lot of hard work and dedication (so now I’ve got a road map!)
One of the BIGGEST pitfalls of that digging out process was falling into the dependency trap.

I didn’t get dependent on meds, although the potential for that was most certainly there…  Who doesn’t want an instant solution?

Over several of physio-going years my self-efficacy – the belief that I am capable of helping myself – has eroded and weathered away.
I got dependent on physiotherapy treatments.

It didn’t help at all that my physiotherapist’s words week after week after week  were reinforcing the belief that I had this fragile weakling of a body… I felt completely imprisoned by fear of making a wrong move and hurting myself.

Well, not no more.
Breaking this dependency was simultaneously one of the hardest and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

It also has cemented the need for a treatment approach that is vastly more all-encompassing than the current biomedical model…

Boosting self-efficacy is one of the major goals of the BPS model – and, not coincidentally at all – the centerpiece of a Satori approach.
All Satori classes and workshops are built with a single premise in mind: to give you, , information, understanding, and tools to help yourself.

BALL WORK is one of our foundational pieces and go – to recovery tools.

Here is why:

Muscles that have become locked up due to stress, injury or poor movement patterns create an internal dam effect – nutrients aren’t delivered into the hungry tissues, and waste products aren’t filtered out.
This is one of the reasons why knots are tender to touch: the inflammation locked into the tissues irritates the nerve cells within the knots, causing pain.

Balls increase circulation and stretch wherever they are rolled. The rolling and kneading action unglues persistent myofascial restrictions by unwinding knots, sticky lumps, and adhesions.

Deliberate ball work coupled with a mindful attitude alters the nervous tone, induces relaxation, helps your body breathe better, which, in turn, further reduces nervousness and anxiety.

Ball rolling and its direct effect on the nervous system is what makes this technique a perfect go-to tool for pain management and tissue recovery.

And the kicker:

The fastest way to create a change in the body is through touch.

According to the 2012 research, it only takes 90 seconds for the cells to begin responding to pressure changes. It takes a whole lot longer for a pill to dissolve and make it into your blood stream.

I am hosting a Ball – Yin NECK + SHOULDER Clinic on Saturday, February 2, 1- 3 PM. Join us on the mat to learn easy + simple techniques for neck and shoulder pain / tension management.

On the agenda:

~ TMJ syndrome relief
~ Neck + Shoulders release + relax + hydrate
~ Handy treats – great for hands working with keyboard + mouse.

I’m super-duper serious about helping your hands + neck + shoulders feel a whole lot better. Sign up for the clinic and I’ll take 10$ off the price of a yoga therapy ball set (regular 25$) so you have tools and methods to help yourself whenever you need to.

Yes, even at 2 am at night…