A few weeks ago, I went on a relatively short and easy hike in the woods, a trail I had been on before. It led to a beautiful watering hole where a stream became a waterfall, ultimately flowing into a large pool for swimming before continuing onward. The trail was quite wide and did not have many obstructions to deal with; it was also relatively flat.

Along I plodded, anxious to reach the water to cool off as it was an exceptionally hot and muggy day. Halfway there and my feet and back were already tiring. By the time I reached all the action, which was only a mile in, my feet had moved past tiring to aching.

For better or worse, cold weather has finally arrived in the Northeast. I actually prefer the cool, crisp air of Winter over the hot and muggy days of Summer.

Still, I am not a huge fan of outdoor walks this time of year. So I was faced with the perennial question, “What can I do to keep moving this winter?” My favorite answer: Swimming! Indoors, that is. Probably not surprisingly, I shiver at the thought of joining one of these ‘polar bear’ clubs where some folks run into icy cold lakes in their skivvies!

Forty years ago, my life was abruptly altered. It was my last year of college, and I woke up one night with so much pain in my ribs – both front and back – that I had difficulty breathing.

It continued to happen night after night, and I knew that I’d better get it checked out.

The video, Understanding Pain + What To Do About It In Less Than 5 Minutes, offers an excellent overview of understanding pain, especially chronic pain. I help people with complex pain implement the lifestyle changes necessary to help them to move beyond pain. 

Most people who experience complex pain do best when addressing their pain on many fronts — most of which are in this video. This video highlights many of my professional perspective on working with pain. It's spot on with a Feldenkraisian approach to moving, learning, growing, and healing.