(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles)

New clients to ALIGN will often tell me that despite seeing a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, massage therapist, and their doctor over many months or years… they just aren’t getting better or aren’t where they feel they should be. With all this dedication to trying to get better, still the pain continues.

Bad posture is most often a reason new clients say they come to see me. They want to have better posture because they believe this is one of the main reasons for their pain. If this is true for you, know that you can recover from this pain. This is my area of expertise. […]

Alignment and pain

(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles)

It is exhausting to be constantly in pain; especially when we have been trying physiotherapy, chiropractor appointments… really anything to get better and we aren’t. Actually it’s frustrating. And it’s a bit scary not knowing when we will have a flare-up or when we don’t know why we have pain.

Misalignment or being out of alignment is most often a reason new clients say they come to see me. They want help getting back into alignment and out of pain. If this is true for you, know that you can recover from this pain. […]

Freedom from pain and suffering

(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

When we are in constant pain we are exhausted, not ourselves, frustrated, and sad that we can no longer do the things we love. There is a tremendous amount of suffering that comes with being in constant pain.

For those that come to see me for rehabilitation, they tell me they have tried everything. Doctors, physios, yoga, pilates, massage, acupuncture… and the list goes on. For some seeing practitioners has gone on for months, for some years, and for others decades. They don’t know what to do to get better. […]

Pain, yoga, and relief

(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

New clients will often tell me that despite seeing a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath, massage therapist, and their doctor over many years… they just aren’t getting better or aren’t where they feel they should be. With all this dedication of trying to get better, still the pain continues. With this comes worry, frustration, disappointment… they just don’t feel like themselves. They don’t enjoy movement anymore. The joy is gone.

For my clients, the condition needed to get this joy […]

What does chronic pain have to do with meditation?

(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

When we are in pain it is uncomfortable, we can’t do the things we love or need to get done, we may feel scared, we may feel alone in this suffering that we can’t get out of. If this pain happens over and over again, it can make us fearful of what will happen in the future…”If I’m this bad now, what will happen when I’m older?” All in all pain is exhausting, frustrating, and we can feel helpless; especially if we have been working with a physio or our doctor and just aren’t getting better. […]

I feel angry that I’m still in pain. I don’t know what to do.

(ALIGN physical rehab is a combination of Physio-Rehab exercises and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

If we have been working with a physiotherapist, chiropractor or our doctor to relieve pain for weeks, months, or even years; and we haven’t gotten better yet, we will likely feel angry about this. We have likely thought: “Why aren’t I better yet? If I’m this bad now, what’s going to happen when I’m older? This is exhausting. I should be better by now.”

Often my clients believe that the anger is due to the constant pain. Because they are weak, limited, feel old, and not what they want to be. […]

I want to be strong again, not in pain. How do I do that?

(Rachel Donen teaches Physical-Rehab and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

When we have been in pain for a long time, we likely can’t do the activities we love, we may have gained weight and don’t feel like our self, and we just don’t enjoy movement anymore. This can be frustrating and disheartening, especially if we have been working with a physio or doctor for months, years, and even decades.

So what can we do to feel strong again and to dissolve the frustration with what we currently are? […]

My body feels weak, stiff and painful. What do I do?

(Rachel Donen teaches Physical-Rehab and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

When we are in constant pain and we first see the physio or doctor, our body feels stiff, tight, and uncomfortable. Likely we feel exhausted and frustrated from the constant pain. Our body might not be able to do the things we used to… this can make us feel old. So how do we get that feeling back where we feel good again?

We need activities that help us remember how strong, capable and skillful we actually are. My clients are often surprised that […]

Why come back to the breath in meditation? Or when we have pain?

(Rachel Donen teaches Physical-Rehab and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

Talking about meditation may not be common while working with a physio or seeing a doctor to recover from chronic pain. So why should we be interested in the breath and meditation when it comes to pain?

When we experience pain over and over again, it can be exhausting. It can be frustrating. We can feel old. Worried. We can feel depressed if we are not working or doing the things we love anymore… Just generally feel bad. […]

I keep having pain. Something must be wrong.

(Rachel Donen teaches Physical-Rehab and the Body Alignment training from Yoga to relieve Chronic Pain, Injury, & Stiffness. Toronto location: Roncesvalles) 

When we have had pain over and over again, we likely have ideas about what is causing this chronic pain. Perhaps a physiotherapist has said it is due to bad alignment or weak muscles. Maybe we think we are doing something wrong. Maybe we think we are still injured because we were injured years ago… there has to be one, right, if we keep having pain?

What we may not know is that some, or all, of this story about pain may not be true. Even though it feels otherwise. It seems like […]