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The Inner Voice
A weekly newsletter from Debbie Jensen-Grubb, RYT500
November 4, 2013 - Issue 55
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Quick Links
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This weeks reading can be seen here at The Daily OM
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To access past issues click here:
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Greetings!
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'Muscle Knot' and thought, 'How wonderful to take something that is usually so miserable and make it into something so beautiful!'
Our connective tissue and muscles move us through life. When they are relaxed, aligned, and functioning properly we move with a graceful freedom of ease that is pain free.
Often, though, life can put 'knots' in our muscles with trauma, injury, and surgeries. Since our bodies hold our history that can mean that our once fluid movements can become sticky and stuck with a collection of nodules that eventually can become painful and restrictive to the health of our bodies and our lifestyles.
We can also get emotional 'knots'. We are born with a social brain, interacting with people from cradle to grave. Most people operate on an emotion-to-emotion basis that was learned early on to communicate with the people around us. When we feel threatened we respond with anger or fear, but not everyone is scared by the same things and sometimes what scares us may just be a 'knot of memory' which we associated with something fearful years ago but no longer serves us now. These are called Emotional Triggers.
The key to a healthier, happier life is to remove these trigger points both in the body and in the brains. Many times when you remove them from one source they will be relieved from the other as well.
Let's take a look...
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| Joke of the Week - hee hee | |
Hanna Jones went to see Doc Smith, her internist.
"Hello Hanna, what are we seeing you for today?" Hanna: "Myofascial Pain Syndrome."
Dr. Smith: "That's a waste-basket diagnosis, I don't believe it exists."
Hanna motioned for him to come toward her and said, "Put your right thumb and first finger on this wad of muscle on my arm, and gently squeeze it."
Just as he did her arm twitched
and socked him in the jaw!
Dr. Smith went reeling out of the exam room door.
Nurse: "So what does she have?"
Dr. Smith: "Myofascial Pain Syndrome."
Nurse: "I thought you didn't believe in that diagnosis." Dr. Smith (holding his lip): "I've never had it explained to me quite in that way before."
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Quick Method to Improve Yoga Poses
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When done mindfully, slowly, and with attention to alignment Yoga can help in relieving pain by stretching muscles and releasing the tension knots that they hold, known as Trigger Points.
It takes time and daily application to receive the thorough healing that this ancient science can bring, and that is where many of us trip up - taking the time to take care of ourselves. With our busy schedules we often forego one of the most important aspects to keeping our bodies moving freely: daily, mindful stretching.
This is where using props can help in yoga, specifically one of my favorites: the tennis ball. It is one of the most effective and readily available props that there is. We use this powerful sphere in yoga therapy by standing on it, lying on it, sitting on it, and rolling it on tight muscles. Doing this places diffuse tension on the muscle fibers releasing rigidity, toxins, and inflammation, so drink plenty of water afterwards!
It also creates new patterns that realigns joints and muscles and aids in freedom of movement. It enables you to improve your yoga poses and perform them with more proficiency faster than if you just did yoga alone. It does this by pressing on Trigger Points and, when firm, steady pressure is maintained, melts the knots returning the muscle to it's smooth, long, and functional vibrancy.
In the video I have for you today I show how to release the six major areas that will help align, relax, and liberate the whole body just by using the mighty tennis ball!
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| Mantra |
A mantra is a sound or phrase that aids in the concentration of meditation. It is a Sanskrit term and literally means 'instrument of thought'. Here you will find a suggested mantra to use during the week (from Louise Hay's 'Heal Your Body'). Just repeat it whenever you need a lift.
I lovingly release the past and
turn my attention to this new day!
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Nutrition Prescription - Vitamin Imbalances
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In her online ad for her book, Pain Relief with Trigger Point Therapy, a licensed acupuncturist, Valerie DeLaune, states:
Doctors Travell and Simons found that almost half of their patients required treatment for vitamin inadequacies to obtain lasting relief from the pain and dysfunction of trigger points, and thought it was one of the most important perpetuating factors to address. They found the most important were the water-soluble vitamins B-1, B-6, B-12, folic acid, vitamin C, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. The more deficient in nutrients you are, the more symptoms you will have, and your trigger points and nervous system will be more hyper-irritable. Even if a blood test determines you are at the low end of the normal range, you may still need more of a nutrient, since your body will pull nutrients from the tissues before it will allow a decrease in the blood levels.
The American Academy of Manual Medicine states: 'If lasting relief of Myofascial Pain Syndrome is to be achieved, nutritional deficiencies must be assessed'. On their website they list the vitamins, their deficiencies and toxicities, and their purpose.
They go on to say:
'A deficiency of vitamins and/or minerals can directly or indirectly effect the function of nerves and/or muscles aggravating a myofascial pain complaint by impairing the energy metabolism needed for the contraction of muscles and by increasing irritability of the nervous system. Chronic pain complaints with fatigue and depression may result.'
Suzy Cohen, a pharmacist, explains on her blog Dear Pharmacist how to get your serum levels tested:
'Nutritional deficiencies can actually be tested with special "micronutrient" blood tests. There are three tests that I've taken myself: "Comprehensive Nutritional Panel" by SpectraCell Labs, "NutrEval" by Genova Diagnostics and the "Cardio/ION" from Metametrix. Practitioners with appropriate health licensure can become providers with these companies and order tests immediately.'
Here are some links that help you to figure out what vitamin you may be deficient in:
5 Weird Signs You Are Vitamin Deficient
Top Warning Signs You May Have Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency
Step 35: Check out this list of deficiency symptoms
So perhaps these multitude of trigger points that create the tightness and pain that you are having in your muscles may be caused by a vitamin imbalance. It could be just that simple to reshape, remodel, and transform your body back into health.
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Trigger Points
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Trigger points are just that - points in the body or minds that trigger us in a painful manner. Since body effects the minds, and minds effect the body often times when you get a trigger point in one place it can show up in another.
The best way to begin to release trigger points is to first become aware that you have them. You may be so used to reacting in a certain way, a way that might bring pain into your life or movement, that you don't even realize that it isn't necessary to be that way. It is when we change our patterns that we can begin to change ourselves.
Physical trigger points can be released by modalities like massage, Alexander Technique, and acupuncture; or with DIY (Do It Yourself) methods such as yoga, AIS (Active Isolated Stretching), or PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation).
Emotional trigger points are a little trickier. It is an experience that draws us back into the past and causes old feelings and behaviors to arise. Anger, frustration, irritability and resentment are the emotional reactive points. In a nano-second we experience a past emotional memory, from another time, that was not dealt with and now it sits within our body/mind waiting to be released. We don't even realize why we react the way we do, it's just a blueprint we developed to help us cope, even though it may no longer serve its purpose.
To begin the process of releasing the emotional triggers you can:
- try not to rationalize or justify the behavior, it doesn't help you to heal.
- stay present with how you are feeling. Name the feeling.
- ask yourself "what is the issue and when did it first occur with someone else?" Write your answers in a journal until you are satisfied with them.
- Breathe.
- Center yourself by drinking some water, sitting down, pulling your hair near the roots or pulling the top of your ears.
- Become aware of the moment you are in.
Often when you heal an emotional trigger point you will heal a physical one and vice versa, they are deeply and energetically connected. Triggers are good things. They show us where we are blocked and reveal what needs to be healed. You know you are listening to your inner voice is when you wonder why you are reacting the way you are, almost as if you are seeing yourself from outside your body. It is a clue to begin to connect with how you are feeling and then following the thread to its source.
By releasing the triggers, both emotional and physical, you begin to open your body and your mind up to a whole new way of being. One that will lead you to a more comfortable and joyful life.
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Our bodies talk to us all of the time in the only language it knows, through symptoms. The secret is to observe them to learn from them, not disassociate or curse them. It is the bodies way of telling us it needs our help to heal and function properly.
Honoring yourself by taking the time to stretch, gifting yourself with some bodywork done by a professional, and getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs by eating a nutritionally dense diet and taking supplements will enable your body to operate at its best and provide you with a lifetime of cheerful activities!
Thank you!
Hugs and Namaste,
Debbie
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Please join me in my next workshop...
Yoga Nidra
New Year's Eve
December 31, 2013
1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Come with your Sankalpa for 2014 and let's begin to make your dreams come true!
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