When it comes to your body, you are the ultimate expert!

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever gotten injured in the effort to get fit?

I have.

Two decades ago, I sustained a twist, turn and reach injury that has haunted me ever since. That injury happened in a class with an instructor who is very tuned into his body. I just wasn’t taking the class mindfully as a student. If he started class telling us we didn’t have to follow his moves exactly, or that we were supposed to be moving only in ways that felt good in our own body, I didn’t receive the message.

I was paying little attention to my own body sensations in his class. I was just doing my best to mimic every move of his, exactly as he performed it. My whole life, I’ve always tried to be a good student. Interestingly, that’s how I got hurt.

Nowadays, before I start a class or workout, or before I attempt any potentially risky maneuver in daily life – such as lifting my heavy suitcase up into an overhead bin on the plane – I get mindful. I have a little chat with my body and tell it I’m here to take care of it, first and foremost. I say that I will listen to any complaining sensations that come from any parts of my body and immediately take care of the problem. And I keep my promise. My body knows now that it can trust me.

My husband, Cliff, keeps in shape by running, golfing and paddling. One day he went out golfing and tweaked his back. The next day he nevertheless went to his outrigger canoe team practice. As the new guy on the team and being naturally very competitive, Cliff felt the need to prove himself in the canoe. He shoved both feet into the board in front of his seat, pulled his paddle back as hard as he could… and herniated a disc in his lower back. He required surgery to relieve that excruciating pain.

Cliff has developed his own private little stretch routine for his back that he does on a mat right after loosening up in a hot shower. He is also listening a lot more to his body, adjusting his activities accordingly. We’re both doing a better job of Self Coaching to keep our bodies safe!

from Mindful Movement – The Art of Self Coaching