Listening to the Body at The Pilates Studio in Hadley

“Hmm I’m hungry?”

 “Danger!”

 “I should have worn a warmer jacket!”

“I’m not sure that I like this person”

“I’m so tired”

“It’s Hot!”

“Woh too much coffee!”

All of these phrases might make up a part of our internal dialog.  They are our reactions as human beings to sensations we feel in the body.  Information comes into the body, and we listen to it and react.  Our tummy grumbles, to remind us we’re hungry.  We might have goose bumps in the face of danger.  We shiver when we’re cold.  Maybe we feel like there’s a pit in our stomach when nervous.  We sweat.  We shake.  And then subconsciously we analyze and respond.  It’s amazing how much our body can tell us about the world if we just listen.

This kind of listening can also be applied to pain.  Have you ever been in the presence of someone who just talks and talks and talks, but never listens?  The conversation that you can’t get a word into… You want to convey something yet there is so much talking.  Think about your feelings when this happens…If you absolutely have to communicate, is your voice louder?  Do you have to be more direct?  Is the other person often startled when you say, “Will you PLEASE let me speak????”  I like to think of pain as a similar kind of communication.  And I always tell my clients that if you don’t listen to the small messages from the nervous system then your body will make you listen! I mean your body will send you a message so strong that you have no choice but to listen. 

Now let’s talk about injury prevention.  What if we listen and respond to aches in our feet and tightness in our calves?  Would we ever experience plantar fasciitis?  What if we did something about the tightness in our hamstrings?  What if we tried to stop the nagging pull around our knees when we walk up stairs? What if we tried to make sure that we could put socks on while standing?  Would as many heels, backs, knees, and hips be injured?  I want to hypothesize, I think not!   

You might be thinking, “Now what?”  Listening to pain is not as innate or ingrained as understanding our body’s shivers.  “What do I do once I’ve heard the pain?”  Well it may seem too simple, but you move.  You move with care and awareness.  You stretch.  You strengthen. You find balance between stretch and strengthening. You learn how to do this!  You give your body experiences that allow for you to learn movement, and if the pain happens when you move, you seek help to find movement efficiency.  And hopefully after this article, you’ll seek help before the pain prevents you from doing the movement you have grown to love!  And if you’re in the Pioneer Valley, you seek help at The Pilates Studio.  We know how to move and we absolutely love teaching other people every thing we know! 

Katrina Hawley, C.M.A, PMA-CPT

Director of Instruction at The Pilates Studio