The lower back, pelvis and hips are all areas where people can feel pain, sensitivity, restricted movement, or discomfort, for a variety of reasons. This can include sitting too long without regular mini breaks, too much exercise or too little exercise, period pain, occasional strains e.g. from lots of heavy lifting, as well as some chronic conditions like arthritis and sciatica. (If you have any concern about the reasons for your pain get them medically checked, and don't do the video if it would be inappropriate for you.)

Yoga, and movement in general, can be like the oil that keeps parts moving smoothly. A phrase used in some therapy circles is 'motion is the lotion'. Do what motion you can to keep muscles and joints happy. This is backed up and recommended through many scientific studies.

In this 13 minute video, I show you some gentle movements to soothe these areas, so that you can feel more comfortable and relaxed.

If we can maintain some gentle movement, it sends positive signals to the brain that things are ok. If the brain receives messages that things are ok, it will dial down the stress response, 'down regulate' the nervous system, thus helping to turn down the pain response. This will ultimately mean we experience less pain and feel like we can move more, helping to positively reinforce that things are generally ok.

As we move gradually from autumn into winter we may be outdoors a bit less, or doing less walking or other activity (the sofa IS very tempting!), so now is the time to maintain our mobility and keep the body comfy.

I thought it would be timely to share one of my fireside videos, to get us into the autumn//winter mood!

Enjoy the video here, or watch it on YouTube.