Evolution of The Pain Free Athlete

Changes are coming at The Pain Free Athlete! Most noticeably the website will be redesigned with an updated version launching this weekend and the newsletter distribution and blogs reducing to quarterly publication. These modifications are needed to free up some of my time and energy for the Pain Story Project. However, I’m still committed to helping people “Stay in the Game for Life.” Read about what may be coming in the future and share your input to help me craft a new offering. 

What’s Changing or Going Away

Website Hosting

The Pain Free Athlete site will be moving off the Kajabi platform. Consequently, the following products will no longer be available: 

• Instructor Led-Courses
• Pain Free Posture Hub
• Free Posture Therapy Course

Newsletter and Blogs

The frequency of the newsletter and blogs will be reduced to quarterly. As always you are welcome to contact me with questions or suggestions for the articles. The formatting of the newsletter will also be refreshed since it will be coming from a new provider (mailchimp) starting next quarter.

Free Book Chapter Download and Resources

Grab the first book chapter free while you still can. This will not be available on the new website. The same is true for the downloadable book resources. Though I will continue to offer these by request.

What’s Staying

Web Address / URL

The address and URL for the website will stay the same. When the website moves to a new hosting platform over the weekend only limited functionality will be available with the remaining items such as the Core Challenge and Free Sports Exercises soon to follow.   

The Book

Winning the Injury Game will still be available for purchase in hard copy and electronic versions through Amazon. 

Blog Archive

All the blogs from the past 13 years are preserved. The most current blogs will be on the new website, and the complete blog library will be hosted on jessicakisiel.com.

Core Challenge

You will still be able to do this challenge which provides core alignment and strengthening tips. If you haven’t done it yet, check it out!

Free Sports Exercises

Complimentary exercise routine videos for specific sports will continue to be available.

What May be Coming in the Future

I’m going to be a yoga instructor! Soon, I’ll complete a 200-HR Yoga Teacher Training (YTT). I find it a bit ironic that the first blog I wrote in 2012 had a negative take on yoga: Be Careful with Yoga. To be clear, there are still some aspects of yoga and poses that I don’t endorse (at least for myself), but overall, I have developed an appreciation for this discipline.

Through my YTT I have learned that yoga is much more than the physical practice of the asanas (poses). Rather, yoga encompasses both external physical practices and internal mental practices. It can be a moving meditation of sorts where the body and breath are linked. My previous ignorance of the inner aspects of yoga is best illustrated by my action of regularly leaving class before savasana (supine resting position) because I didn’t see the point of it, nor did I want to lie still for several minutes. With the knowledge I have gained about the body, nervous system, and healing I now realize how vital this final relaxation (savasana) is to integrate the work done in yoga class for both the body and mind. Presently, I look forward to the quiet stillness offered in this final yoga pose.  

Interestingly, what I currently find most attractive about yoga is the peaceful energy that surrounds it and the philosophy shared in many of the classes. For me, a good yoga class feels like a safe container in which to explore my body without judgement. Certainly, I am selective about the classes I attend and do not feel this sense of security in some yoga settings like those I went to in the past. My YTT has exposed me to numerous types of yoga, allowing me to be more discerning about which classes I attend and pick those styles which align with my needs and desires. 

One of the turning points that convinced me to pursue YTT was when my sister said I sounded just like her yoga instructors. Indeed, she was right. I have been talking about themes that are taught in yoga philosophy, such as gratitude, self-compassion, mindfulness and meditation, breath awareness, and so on for a long time. Many of the same concepts and practices research has found to help with chronic pain. . .

On the practical side, a lot of the exercises I used in my posture-based exercise classes and courses were derived from yoga. Several of the yoga classes that I have taken recently included these movements or variations of them. So, in my own way, I have been doing a version of yoga with my students for several years. Which led me to the idea of blending the well-known and popular practice of yoga with my other areas of expertise. Perhaps some kind of yoga, alignment, and pain coaching experience. Maybe with a focus on a specific sport, body area, or movement pattern. Would you be interested in something like that? Contact me and let me know. I’m curious to learn if you do yoga and if you’d be interested in this type of offering. Until then, I need to finish my training, Ha!