Your Body Speaks Louder Than Words
Pain isn't just a random thing that happens to you. It's your body's way of sending you a message, and it's usually a lot smarter than we give it credit for. That ache in your lower back? The tightness in your shoulder? It's not just physical—it's your body waving a red flag, trying to get your attention. I was reminded of this during my parents' two-week visit. My wife, Deya, was away, and my parents were helping while juggling two kids and work. On the surface, I was handling it all, but then my left shoulder—specifically my left mid-trap—started acting up.
Naturally, I thought, "What am I doing wrong in the gym?" I preach about the bench press being safe for shoulders if you move right, so I couldn't figure it out. I tweaked my form, analyzed every movement, and kept second-guessing my lifts. Nothing worked.
Then, like magic, the moment my parents left, the pain disappeared.
When Deya returned, she asked me if it had been too much having so many people in the apartment. That's when it clicked. The pain wasn't from lifting wrong; it was the stress of the situation. I had ignored how overwhelmed and oversocialized I felt, pushing through because it seemed like the "right" thing. My body wasn't buying it, though. It was sending me signals I refused to hear. A simple solution could have been acknowledging the environment and giving myself more space. Rather than focusing on the pecs and upper body at the gym, I should have been doing more sumo deadlift, glute max, and med work.
Your Pain Is Talking—Are You Listening?
Before there's structural damage, the body gives you warnings. Discomfort shows up in places like your hips, mid-back, or neck, not because something's "broken," but because there's a mismatch between what you're doing and what your body feels safe handling.
Physical, mental, emotional, or environmental stress lives in the body. It doesn't go away just because you pretend it's not there. And when you ignore it, the body gets louder, using pain(intensity) and tension to force you to listen.
The Answer Isn't Less Stress—It's More Strength
Most people get this wrong. They think the solution is avoiding stress, but that's not the way forward. You can't live in a bubble or tiptoe through life trying to avoid anything uncomfortable.
The real solution is teaching your body how to handle stress. That's where physical intensity comes in. And no, I'm not talking about smashing yourself into the ground with random workouts. I'm talking about creating the right intensity in the right muscles.
When you train correctly, you're not just moving weights—you're sending your body a message: "I've got this. We're safe." That's how you start to move out of pain and into strength, confidence, and resilience.
What's Your Body Trying to Tell You?
Take a second to think:
Where do you feel discomfort?
Is it tied to something physical, or could it be emotional or environmental?
Are you ignoring the signals and pushing through?
Now ask yourself: What would change if you listened?
Ready to Tune In?
If this resonates with you and you're tired of guessing why your body feels the way it does, let's talk. Whether at a Movement Ayahuasca Retreat or through one-on-one work, I'll show you how to reconnect with your body, handle stress the right way, and move like you were meant to.
Your body's been trying to communicate with you. Let's make 2025 the year you finally start listening.
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