Are You in the Driver Seat of Your Body? How Yoga Can Help You.

I used to be puzzled with my doctor's questions asking me, “Where and how does it hurt?” The difficulty was not so much because of the lack of vocabulary, but more so the lack of body awareness. I couldn't articulate my pain to other people. I was sensitive to pain and discomfort. To fool my brain, I often relied on pain killers and shots to get rid of what I didn't want to feel in my body.

I let drugs control my body and ignored any sign of a root cause. I was suffering from unexplained headaches and dizziness for a long time. I thought it was a doctor's job to figure it out, not me to manage. I went through hearing, balance, and MRI/A testing to get to the bottom of it. Nothing negative was found in the test results. But I had to deal with the symptoms because the drugs were taking control of my mind as well as my body. My neurologist told me to keep a log of when and how it happens. I was hoping the doctor would give me a magic pill to wipe my pain away.

After a month of careful observation of my body, I noticed an empty stomach, a long train ride, and wearing a headset for a long time on a call were examples of triggers. They also occurred right after waking up. With this awareness, I stopped taking the drugs.

Being aware and sensitive to the sensations of my body allowed me to avoid the triggers and manage the symptoms when they occurred.

Yoga helps us to observe ourselves internally and objectively with vigorous movements and stillness. Just like keeping logs of the body and mind, yoga practice improves your mental state and increases awareness of where you are in space, referred to as proprioception. Let us be in the driver's seat not in the passenger seat, so we have control over how we drive and slow down. We are in charge of our bodies.

#Howyogacanhelpyou #epiphanylifeny #yoginisummer #Yogaclass

「運転席」に座っていますか？

お医者様に「どこがどう痛いんですか？」と聞かれると困惑。

表現の仕方がわからないというよりかそもそも痛みの感覚認識機能が低下していて言葉にならなかった。その割には痛みや不快感に対しては敏感で、脳みそを麻痺させてそのどこから来るかわからない感覚から痛み止めや注射で逃れていた。

薬に体を委ね、原因に目を向けなかった。長いこと原因不明の頭痛とめまいに悩まされていた。医師に治療をさせれば私がどうこうできる問題ではないと思っていた。聴覚テスト、バランステスト、MRI/MRAを経た結果何もわからなかった。ただ、症状は治らず。

神経科の医師は薬を処方することなく、「頭痛とめまいが起こった時とどうやっておきたのかを記録すること」を指導した。

1ヶ月後、観察を続けたところ、空腹時、長旅が続く、ヘッドセットを長時間つけている、起き抜けなどがきっかけとなっていることがわかった。結果それらの状況を避けることで、薬の服用なしに回復することができた。

薬と医師に頼り切り身も心もお任せ状態。認識を深め感覚に鋭くなること、発症を防ぐことができた。

ヨガは身体の運動と静止することにより自己観察・内観を促す。心と体の動向の動きを記録し、心と体の状態を把握する(自己受容性感覚)。

まずは、自分の助手席から降りて運転席に乗ってみよう。そうすれば、自分の意思で運転するスローダウンすることもできる。