Movement & Exercise
It’s best to look through the treatment options and pick a few that interest you. Make sure to listen or watch the activities first, so you have an idea of what to expect before jumping in.
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Quick Tips for Success
Quick Tips for Success
Listen First: Always preview a practice before doing it to ensure it fits your current mobility level.
Prioritize Safety: If a movement creates sharp or increasing pain, gently back off.
Be Curious: Focus on what your body can do today, rather than what it can't.
Click the blue button below to listen to an audio overview, or the red YouTube button to watch a video summary of this page. These are helpful ways to get started or to quickly refresh your understanding if you’ve already explored this section.
Mindful Movement and Exercise Practice
Mindful Movement and Exercise Practice
Reconnecting with your body, one gentle movement at a time.
The goal of these practices isn’t to "push through" pain, but to explore movement with curiosity and patience. By prioritizing safety and monitoring your sensations, you can begin to rebuild a positive relationship with physical activity.
To get started, explore the audio and video overviews below. You will find guided practices in the drop-down section further down the page.
Mindful Movement and Exercise Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
Choose whichever body scan best matches your practice position. Do before and after to see how things change
🎧 Back Lying Quick Scan (1 min)
Then try this practice
🎧 Gentle Movement with Breath Laying Down by Hannah Brown New (Insight Timer 11 min)
Additional practices to explore
🎬 Exercise Guidance Then Movement and Exercise Practice (YouTube 14 min)
🎧 Standing & Walking Meditation by Jo Linden (Insight Timer 12 min)
Self-Release & Movement
Self-Release & Movement
Self-release and mindful movement practices can help reduce muscle tension, ease stiffness, and restore more comfortable movement throughout the body. These approaches may include gentle stretching, guided movement, breathing awareness, and simple self-release techniques that you can practice on your own.
By learning to listen to your body and work within a comfortable range, these practices can help improve flexibility, reduce sensitivity, and support more confident movement over time. Many people also find these tools helpful during symptom flare-ups or periods of increased tension and stress.
To get started, explore the audio and video overviews below. You will find guided practices in the drop-down section further down the page.
Self-Release & Movement Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
Choose whichever body scan best matches your practice position. Do before and after to see how things change
🎧 Back Lying Quick Scan (1 min), 🎧 Sitting Quick Scan (1 min), 🎧 Standing Quick Scan (1 min)
Then try this guided practice
📃 Fist or Ball release (Handout)
Additional practices to explore
🎬 Tweak Release Video (YouTube)
🎬 Knee to chest release & sequence (YouTube)
🎬 Trunk rotation sequence (YouTube)
🎬 Neck side bend release & move (YouTube)
Functional Movement
Functional Movement
Functional movement training focuses on teaching your body to move in safe, efficient, and natural ways that support daily activities — like standing, walking, bending, or reaching. For people with chronic pain, these exercises help restore confidence in movement, reduce fear of injury, and improve strength, balance, and coordination. By practicing real-life movements with proper technique and pacing, you can build resilience, prevent flare-ups, and make everyday tasks feel more manageable and less painful.
Functional Movement Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎧 Standing Quick Scan (1 min) then try 🎬 Mountain pose weight shift (YouTube)
Additional practices to explore
Yoga
Yoga
Yoga for chronic pain combines gentle movement, mindful breathing, and relaxation to help you reduce pain, tension, and stress in your body and mind. Unlike fast-paced or intense yoga styles, these practices focus on slow, safe movements, comfortable stretches, and positions that you can adapt to your unique needs and comfort level. Many people find that yoga helps them improve flexibility and strength, calm the nervous system, and build confidence in movement — all important parts of managing chronic pain. Over time, a regular yoga practice can help you move with greater ease, feel more relaxed and balanced, and better cope with the daily challenges of living with persistent pain.
Yoga Guided Practice Links
Mindful Movement
Mindful Movement
Breathworks Mindful Movement can be described as a moving meditation, where attention is focused on the sensations and qualities of movement in the body. This approach aims to help individuals cultivate a greater awareness of their physical presence while fostering relaxation and ease of movement. The practice encompasses a sequence of gentle movements that can be adapted to various physical abilities, including those with limited mobility or chronic pain conditions.
Mindful Movement Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎧 Sitting Quick Scan (1 min), or 🎧 Standing Quick Scan (1 min) then the first three exercise on the 🎬 Mindful Movement Playlist (YouTube)
Additional practices to explore
Feldenkrais
Feldenkrais
The Feldenkrais Method is a gentle, mindful movement practice that helps people with chronic pain retrain their body and nervous system to move with more comfort, ease, and efficiency. Through small, slow movements and guided attention, Feldenkrais lessons teach you to become more aware of how you move, so you can let go of unnecessary tension and develop healthier movement patterns. For people with chronic pain, this approach can reduce muscle strain and stiffness, improve mobility and balance, and help you rediscover more comfortable ways to sit, stand, walk, and do daily activities. Over time, Feldenkrais can help you move more freely, feel more at ease in your body, and build confidence in your ability to manage pain and stay active.
Feldenkrais Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎧 Back Lying Quick Scan (1 min) then try this practice 🎬 Pelvic Clock (YouTube 9 min)
Additional practices to explore
Pilates
Pilates
Pilates for chronic pain focuses on gentle, controlled movements that help you strengthen your core muscles, improve posture, and move more efficiently in daily life. These exercises emphasize good alignment, breathing, and body awareness, which can help reduce unnecessary tension and protect painful or sensitive areas. Pilates can be adapted for all levels, making it a safe and effective way to build strength and stability without adding strain. For people with chronic pain, Pilates can support better balance, flexibility, and confidence in movement, helping you handle daily tasks with less discomfort and more ease. Over time, a regular Pilates practice can help you feel stronger, more supported, and more in control of your body.
Pilates Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎬 Full Body Beginner Pilates at Home (YouTube 22 min)
Additional practices to explore
Tai Chi
Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a gentle, flowing movement practice that helps people with chronic pain improve balance, reduce stiffness, and calm the mind and body. Often described as “meditation in motion,” Tai Chi combines slow, mindful movements with deep breathing, helping you stay relaxed while improving strength, coordination, and body awareness. For those living with chronic pain, Tai Chi can ease muscle tension and joint discomfort, reduce stress, and build confidence in safe, smooth movement. Because it’s low-impact and adaptable, Tai Chi can be practiced by people of all ages and abilities — either standing or seated. With regular practice, Tai Chi can help you move more freely, feel more balanced, and manage daily pain with greater calm and ease.
Tai Chi Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎬 Tai Chi for Pain Relief: Deep Healing for Mind and Body (YouTube 27 min)
Additional practices to explore
Qigong
Qigong
Qigong is an ancient mind-body practice that combines gentle, flowing movements, focused breathing, and mindful awareness to help people with chronic pain feel more balanced, calm, and comfortable in their bodies. Qigong movements are typically slow, smooth, and easy to adapt, making them suitable for all ages and abilities — even if you need to practice seated. By encouraging relaxed, natural movement, Qigong can help ease muscle tension, improve circulation and flexibility, and quiet the nervous system, which may help reduce pain and stress over time. Many people living with chronic pain find that practicing Qigong regularly helps them move more freely, feel more centered, and build a deeper sense of connection and self-care in daily life.
Qigong Guided Practice Links
Good place to start
🎬 3 Best Qi Gong Exercises for Beginners (YouTube 5 min)
Additional practices to explore
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