Practicing with chronic pain and fatigue

Bodies change and require different supports as we go through life.

Childbirth. Injury. Surgeries. Loss. Mental health. Aging. Diagnosis. Caregiving.

All of this affects us on a multidimensional level, and the yogic practice is meant to adapt to support us.

NOT to stay the same. There is no status quo when it comes to our bodies.

My yoga practice at 26 looked entirely different than it does now at 36…and it’s supposed to. I haven’t done a handstand in maybe a year? Though if you love them, by all means keep practicing! I’m not so interested in arm balances and the like right now either, and it’s not just because my center of gravity continues to precariously shift as my belly grows. ;)

The truth is since having children six years ago, I’ve experienced bouts of chronic pain and chronic fatigue. And, this pregnancy has only exacerbated it.

In truth, I think that nearly everyone has bouts of both - pain and fatigue. Do you? Have you? You can always write to me and share.

In these more recent years, I’ve learned (and am learning) how to share yogic practice and Vedic wisdoms in a way that honors my own body and energy. After all…yoga isn’t supposed to hurt. It’s an offering for our expansion and true liberation.

So much of chronic pain and fatigue goes unnoticed by others, and it is something folks have to live with everyday as the world whips about. Personally, I’ve tried to see this as a gift…as chronic pain and fatigue require embodying a way of living that is more in alignment with the body’s physiological design.

Yogic practice is about attuning the body-mind system to peace. Each posture should have steadiness and ease. The prana and breath flow. There’s a release and expression through movement. The body is relaxed to receive in meditation. That’s it. That’s what yoga “practice” in its physical form is. Though the physicality is a gateway for the subtle, the energetic, the spiritual healing.

For me, I have a condition that I’ve had with all three pregnancies called symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), which is essentially when the two sides of the pelvis start separating and/or shifting. Pain is felt in the pubic bone and around the sacroiliac joints along the back of the sacrum. At times, I cannot walk well. Or at all. At times, the pain exhausts me. And forget about Warrior postures some days, I can barely get out of bed or the car without wincing, yelping, or…honestly crying.

This goes on for months at a time prenatally and postnatally, and the SI joint pain will likely continue for the rest of my life; though, yoga therapeutics and subtle anatomy work help drastically. I continue to be actively involved in researching the mechanics and energetics of the pelvis so that we all have more support in this arena (because right now the research and advice are abysmal).

I’m sure many of you are experiencing chronic pain and/or fatigue at this very moment, many more of you will, and many others already have, and I want to invite us all into a curiosity about why this is happening and if it’s at all for our benefit.

How can we move, breathe, and tend to our lives in a way that is more nourishing and rejuvenating for the entire soma and spirit?

This is something I’m bringing into an online group experience. A cross between a meditation, very gentle and sensual movement, and writing studio that supports the feminine aspects of life that need our attention. We all have both masculine and feminine within us.

Join me for a 40 Day Meditation and Writing Challenge of Living Lush:

Deep relaxation techniques.
Gentle, circular movement.
Subtle anatomy and chakra engagement.
Writing prompts to guide us in our personal and professional lives.
Healing pain and honoring fatigue.
The highest alchemy of self-love.
A place of true respite and retreat every time you enter.
Safe for chronic pain, fatigue, and perinatal nurturance.
For the ambitious souls who need a soft place to land.
A place to return to your sensual nature and honor your physiology.

Learn more about the Living Lush 40 Day Meditation and Writing Challenge (with a special surprise bonus for those who really finish the whole program). Early birds get $150 off until January 15, 2024 with code EarlyBird150. We start Sunday, January 28, 2024. Aside from consulting, this will be the only group program I offer before this baby’s arrival and subsequent maternity leave. I’d love to welcome you.

Jai Ma.
With love,
Leanne

P.S. The Living Lush 40 Day Meditation and Writing Challenge is perfect for those who want to know how to live with their bodies, rather than solely their minds. It's for those who want to start and/or deepen a daily meditation practice. It’s for those who want to reconnect with their sensual side through embodiment.

It's for those who want to write for themselves, for their art and expression, and/or for their body of work in the world and need a guide to start. It's for those who want to shift from feeling over-worked and overwhelmed to living a life of fulfillment, ease, nourishment, and clarity by infusing sacredness into our days.

Safe for those experiencing chronic pain, fatigue and exhaustion, and perinatal care (i.e. fertility treatment, pregnancy, postpartum).