How to think about exercise?

I exercise gently several times a day. Mostly somatics, which helps me feel my numb, stiff body, and has helped me reconnect to a lot of lost sensation. I feel good exercising, but am I sending my brain mixed messages? I was believing about 80% but now I am focusing on believing 100% and don't want my brain to get the idea I'm trying to "cure" my pain/stiffness/disconnection with exercise.

I also go for a half hour or so walk daily, but that is probably not relevant to my question.

This situation has one more element: I teach gentle exercise classes and am trying to get into shape again and out of fear enough to go back to it. Have committed to teaching a series of Intro to Ballroom Dance classes, starting end of February (taught a one-off workshop already, as a kind of test to self, so feel scared but confident enough to proceed). I have not done a lot of Ballroom Dance, but used to teach other kinds of dance, and this seems like a good challenge to brain and body, with a deadline, all challenging to fear and pain and sending a clear message to brain that I CAN. So, soon I will start to practise/learn the necessary Ballroom steps/routines. All this requires me to focus on my body but I don't see any "harm" in that, as long as I focus on my emotional state, too.

Any wisdom to share about this?

 

"Perhaps the most important (but most difficult) thing patients must do is to resume all physical activity, including the most vigorous."

Healing Back Pain, Dr. John E. Sarno pg. 79.

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What I'm getting from your post is your emphasis on being "gentle" with your body, that the body is fragile. Dr. Sarno's "wisdom" teaches that the body is STRONG--it's the mind that's weak. The mind has has been misinformed by negative conditioning. This misinformation emanates from the collective meme, influenced by the media, that profits by people suffering from TMS pain, thinking they need to BUY something to fix their weak body. Watch some videos of the outlandishly stupid stunts they perform like on the Jackass show, that they walk away from, or motorcycle racing crashes where they get back on their bikes and keep racing--you have the same body--but are in fear of using it to it's potential. JUST DO IT!

 

You're right, Tennis Tom. I have come to believe that there is literally a "weak link" in my brain. That can be connected. When I CONNECT! Oh, new thought: that IS connected, every time I CONNECT. When it is not connected, I am disconnected and feel "weak-minded". I HAVE thought of my body as fragile, and myself as "sensitive". Thanks for your post, good reminder!