Do you ignore pain in your body? Unless we have an acute injury or sickness, most of us are reluctant do anything about pain until it begins to limit our life in someway. And even then, some people never do anything about pain, whether it be back, knee, hip or neck pain; we see pain as a part of getting older and living our modern lives, something we have to put up with.

My own journey with pain began in my early teens with deep knee pain, due to what my family doctor labelled as growing pains. Fast forward to my late twenties, I still had the same pain and could no longer jog, swim or cycle. In addition I had developed lower back pain, sciatica and a trapped nerve in my neck from laptop use. Becoming more and more limited in my ability to keep fit, I turned to yoga as it was billed to be restorative, gentle and re-aligning…right?

Luck or destiny helped me find a yoga school, The Radiant Hand, that taught dynamic yoga, whilst also having an in-house physiotherapist and massage therapist. I started my healing journey, by joining one of their retreats, and never looked back. Encouraged by some very quick progress in my flexibility, strength and weight loss, I embarked on a committed course of physiotherapy and acupuncture sessions. This, combined with regular yoga practice and a massage every so often, soothed the changes my body was going through.

The truth no one tells you is that healing is painful; physical pain manifests when something is not only misaligned physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The reason that yoga, physiotherapy and massage provide you with a way out of the Bermuda triangle of pain is because they give you the platform to approach the cause of your pain on all levels.

The more I learned on my yoga mat about how my body worked, the more I learned how my mind worked. I could see the impact my thoughts had on my emotions and how my negative emotions, unless acknowledged and worked through, were stored in my body as physical pain.

Deep memories would come to mind out of nowhere, as if I was experiencing the situation all over again. Emotions came and went in waves, I continued going to yoga classes and physiotherapy, so I could live out the remainder of my life pain free.

It took a year of dedication and commitment to taking care of myself. Happily and gratefully 8 years later, I have never had pain in my knees since, or my lower back for that matter. I am continuing to work on aches and pains higher up my body through yoga and bursts of physiotherapy/massage when needed, but I now know what I need to do and how it is possible for me to live free of pain.

So, what are the golden rules for escaping the Bermuda triangle of pain?

Firstly, never go more than 3 weeks in pain; if it has lasted that long, you need help to release it. Relying on drugs for long periods only masks the pain, simply because drugs tackle the issue on a physical level. If you really want to be pain free, you have to work on the emotional and mental levels as well.

Find a good yoga teacher. It is challenging to see yourself objectively; a true teacher will hold up a mirror so you can see exactly who you are and the pain you cause yourself and others, through a lack of awareness in your thinking and behaviour. It is not always comfortable, but once you have the truth you can begin to make changes physically, mentally and emotionally. Finally, remember you are worth it and deserve to be free of pain completely, for the rest of your life…we all do.

To meet a fantastic holistic therapist with deep knowledge of physiotherapy, yoga and massage visit www.theradianthand.co.uk and make an appointment today…

And if you fancy having all your needs taken care of in a gorgeous setting, far away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, join The Radiant Hand on one of their luxury retreats. It is sure to be an amazing start to your journey out of the Bermuda triangle of pain and will leave you with a renewed sense of hope for a pain free life ahead.