Circus Arts for pain management

(Kelsey talks specifically about Circus here, but you may expand the ideas she shares to many other forms of fun and activity.)

Circus is a big umbrella, and while it conjures images of death-defying acrobats appreciated ringside, it has grown as a practice that anyone can participate in. There is a movement towards finding fitness through play and making the practice of circus accessible to all. There are aerial classes for cancer survivors, miming for Parkinson’s patients, and adaptations offered in just about every circus discipline. No matter the state of your body when you start, it is possible to find fun and fitness through circus.

Well, as acrobats we know a bit about pain, #circushurts. In circus, there is the pain of sore muscles, little burns and bruises from sliding on fabrics or hanging from bars, there is the discomfort of deep stretching, and the sensation of pressure in places you’re unaccustomed. Sometimes the thing that hurts is the thing holding you up. Circus teaches us that sometimes pain is necessary, sometimes it is worth it, though sometimes it is a signal telling you something’s not right and needs to change. It is a practice in discerning pain, in classifying pain as healthy or unhealthy. It is a practice in making choices around it. Circus is so full of sensation that sometimes it’s about de-classifying pain, about recognizing pain as a sensation and nothing more. It can be about giving pain less power. Circus teaches us how to get comfortable with discomfort. While circus can be intense, it is generally not the pain people remember. It’s the play. Circus is fun! You get to climb, spin, go upside down, learn new things, have new experiences, make friends, be silly. Play is a powerful pain reliever. No matter how much pain you’re in a little play can go a long way.