Should We Always Listen to Our Body?

Yoga teacher Jenni Rawlings and Exercise Science professor Travis Pollen discuss what research suggests about whether we should truly “always listen to our body”.

Points of discussion include:

• A review of interoception
• Do yoga & mindfulness practices actually improve interoception?
• What’s the connection between interoception and anxiety?
• Does what we feel in our body necessarily reflect what is actually taking place in our body?
• Do feelings of back stiffness correlate to actual biomechanical back stiffness?
• The conundrum of treating pain in a rehab context when pain does not necessarily correlate with tissue damage
• Should rehab exercises be painful or not painful?
• Is the sensation we feel at the end of a stretch an accurate reflection of the mechanical end range of our tissue’s length?
• What role does interoception play in athletic performance?
• Do elite runners have better interoception than non-runners?
• …And much more!

Enjoy this engaging and eye-opening discussion for yoga, movement, and fitness geeks!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Jenni’s email newsletter

Strength for Yoga Remote Group Training – ongoing, interactive monthly strength program for yogis designed by Jenni & Travis

Research study: Feeling stiffness in the back: a protective perceptual inference in chronic back pain

Research study: Interoceptive differences in elite sprint and long-distance runners: A multidimensional investigation

Online yoga class library & yoga anatomy workshops with Jenni

Strength for Yoga email newsletter

To find out more about Travis Pollen: website / Instagram

Music used with generous permission from Dischord A Cappella.