Connect to the pain and let it move away

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I was lucky to grow up with a mother, who cared a lot about the body and its self-healing capability. When I and my brother had a cold, she would put a hot oil wrap on our neck and hot vinegar socks on our feet, the way she had learned from her mother. My brother made jokes, that now all we needed was some salad on the belly. Oftentimes, I woke up at night with a bad earache. My mother would take my feet and massage them, as she had been taught reflexology and soon the pain went away. It felt like miracle healing but actually it was that she helped to improve the circulation that had been stuck. Earliest discovery of reflexology was found in Egypt, but it was used by many cultures and was examined more in the beginning of the 20th Century. 

Right now we live in a time where we are supposed to believe that only pharmacological therapy and doctors can solve our health issues. I think we should be aware that pharmacological therapy can also cause health issues, and it should not be considered the only valuable solution. I was taught that pain can go away without taking a pill. I was taught that I can endure pain, breathe into it, focus on it and that resting and letting time go by can solve the issue. I am not saying we should never rely on the power of pharmacological pills and medical interventions, but it shouldn‘t be considered the sole possibility to heal. I hope we will not lose important knowledge about healing, by saying it is all just esoteric and by vilifying natural doctors or traditional knowledge on health. 

Currently we are forced to spend a lot of time in front of the screen. This makes us forget time and we don't even notice if we keep our head in the same position for too long. There is an other practice that my mother showed me recently, and I was astonished how difficult it is for me, to move my head in all directions. So for this practice you can sit or stand. Very slowly move your head towards your belly, keep it there for a while and very slowly bring it to the upright position again. Next move it very slowly towards your left shoulder, keep it there for a while and move it back upright again, very slowly. Next very slowly move it towards the back. Keep it there for a while, and then move it upright again, very slowly. Then move your head very slowly towards your right shoulder. Keep it there for a while, then move it upright again very slowly. Repeat this circle a couple of times and remember to do it slowly. When I do this, I hear and feel something like snapping or clicking. After doing this a couple of times, the clicking vanishes, and I can feel, how the movement gets easier. When I don‘t do this practice for long, the clicking and snapping comes back again. It shows all of my body wants to be moved in all directions possible. When we were still using the body a lot, it was natural to move our heads around a lot. To feel well, it is still a good solution.