They say that in life 'if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.' I love this quote, because ultimately, tough I am an introvert at heart, I thrive as part of the team. And I feel adrift when I go through long periods of working on my own.
Having grown up feeling like an outsider and then struggling to feel connected to my peers in my teen years. (though this is way more common then I could have ever known) I know what it feels like to have a sense that you are struggling alone, always looking in at the seemingly easy and casual connections people make with one another. Any way, whoa! I got a bit deep there...Let me get back to my point.
We humans are social beings and our need to connect, to be seen and feel safe in a supportive community is deep in our roots. We have seen first hand during the pandemic what not being in connection can do to us...feeling disconnected can deeply affect our self perception, emotional health and physical health (it's all inter-connected)
5 reasons why community matters...
Support:
Having a supportive community means we can feel safe, we are not alone on this journey and there is someone you can reach out to when feelings of hopelessness creep in. And this goes both ways! Supporting others gives you an emotional boost and bolsters feelings of belonging.
Belonging:
Finding a sense of belonging with people who you feel safe enough to be your true self with is invaluable. Pain can feel lonely and especially chronic pain, people can not see your pain. “The hunger to belong is at the heart of our nature. Cut off from others, we atrophy and turn in on ourselves. The sense of belonging is the natural balance of our lives. -John O Donohue
Accountability:
Communities can influence us and motivate us to invest in our well-being and to bring positive changes to our lives. It is true that self-management and our ability to look after ourselves has a major impact on our lives, however having the support of a team or community who are on a similar journey to you can be a really positive influence.
Learning:
Even within communities of people brought together for a similar reason we can still find people who have different views, experiences, or beliefs, and we can learn from them. We may even hear someone describe and experience we have had but did not have language for or maybe had dismissed, because we felt no one would understand. This experience of learning from others can help us reach insights that we may not have reached on our own.
Sharing:
Sharing what we are experiencing physically, emotionally and energetically helps us to reinforce a sense of self. This practice of listening to others and of being listened to can have enormous benefits on mental health. It helps us acknowledge that we are not alone. This raises positive emotions, and a sense of empowerment.
Yoga for back pain is focused on treating all the layers of you! Physically, emotionally, spiritually. It is not just about pain, rather the focus is on dealing with pain in the wider context of life, health and well-being. Education and learning is the corner stone of this practice.
And being in a supportive group who can help you to engage with the ideas, discuss them, hear from those who have made progress, support those who are struggling and ultimately support you to integrate self-management tools into everyday life and to thrive!
6 week yoga - Back Support for Modern Life course beginning in May
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