Craig leads a guided imagination exercise that will help improve your inner feeling of good carriage and alignment. Try it!
Episode 14 - Sciatic Nerve Irritation
Irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is felt as pain in the buttocks and down the leg, is a common problem. This podcast covers some of the possible physical and mental causes of sciatic nerve pain.
Episode 13 - Walking and Ground
This discussion begins with a question about "ground reactive force", which is referred to in Pain-Free Sitting, Standing and Walking. The conversation continues about how the legs and hips use the ground for leverage, for easy walking.
Episode 12 - The Eyes, Falling, Relaxation, and Ego
What do these four things have in common? This podcast looks at how a person uses his or her eyes, and how that affects balance, tension, and one's sense of self.
Episode 11 - Exploring Awareness
This podcast is a guided sensory awareness exercise, with periodic verbal directions given by Craig. This exercise suggests how to experience your whole body as continuous process of shifting sensations, rather than the typical way of experiencing it as a solid object. It can also be a way to center yourself and to relax. Try it!
Episode 10 - Muscle Tension and Fatigue
"I have lots of muscle tension and usually Is there any link between fatigue and chronic muscle tension? Can tight muscles keep you on edge and keep your nervous system on constant alert? Can improving your kinesthetic awareness help calm down your nervous system?"
Craig presents a mind/body approach to these questions, attempting to answer them all in 15 minutes. The discussion includes the idea that muscle tension, fatigue and anxiety are often connected to each other - addressing one issue can help the others, but it doesn't necessarily replace the need to address the cause of each issue specifically.
Episode 9 - Creaky Hips
"When I am lying down with my knees bent I have the urge to rotate my legs to the outside. They are creaky feeling and they click when I move them. What is that about? I can't seem to get my hips relaxed."
This discussion specifically addresses a listener's questions about hip rotation and the causes of tension in the hip rotation muscles. Craig also suggests new exercises for her to try. If you have questions about your own hips this podcast may be useful for you.
Episode 8 - Meditation and Muscular Retraining
"It seems like a lot of Williamson Muscular Retraining is similar to meditation, but I don't hear you refer to meditation specifically. Is meditation something you teach people?"
In this discussion, the meditation qualities of receptivity, self-awareness, and attentiveness to the present moment experience are described as components of muscular retraining.
Episode 7 - The Psyche and Pain
“In your book you suggest reading John Sarno’s work on psychogenic pain, yet your ideas do not seem exactly like his. Who is correct”?
This discussion covers the how thoughts and feelings can cause real bodily pain, including the ground-breaking ideas of John Sarno. Williamson Muscular Retraining uses this understanding in conjunction with movement awareness exercise for a holistic approach to addressing pain problems. 37 minutes.
Episode 6 - Hara
“In your book you very briefly mention the word hara. What does hara mean”?
Hara is a Japanese word for “belly” that refers to a location in the body, psychological awareness, and a person’s relationship to Being itself. In this 45 minute interview Craig discusses the physical, mental and existential aspects of hara.