Author: Devon

Chronic pain is often approached with frustration and resistance. But what if we could relate to it differently—not as something to battle, but as a messenger trying to protect us? Using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, we can gently turn toward pain and ask: What do you need me to understand?

A Simple Guided Exercise

1. Settle In
Find a quiet space and become aware of your breath and body.

2. Locate the Pain
Gently bring attention to where the pain resides in your body. Describe it without judgment: sharp, dull, heavy, hot?

3. Turn Toward It
Instead of resisting, try getting curious:

• “How do you want me to see you?”
• “What do you want me to know?”

4. Ask About Its Purpose

• “What are you trying to do for me?”
• “What are you protecting me from?”

5. Listen
The response might come as a word, image, emotion, or sensation. Let it arise without editing.

6. Offer Compassion
Thank the pain for its role. Ask:

• “What do you need from me to feel heard?”
• “How can I help you feel supported?”

7. Make an Agreement
If it’s open, offer to check in again or seek the support it needs.

A Real-Life Example: Shoulder Pain as Protector

One client had chronic shoulder pain that persisted despite treatment. Through this IFS-style dialogue, she realized the pain surfaced when she became the primary caregiver for a family member. The pain was a part of her trying to keep everything under control. Once acknowledged and thanked, the part began to soften. Her relationship to her body shifted—from adversary to ally.

Conclusion:
This practice may not remove pain overnight, but it can transform how we hold it. In many cases, the pain is not just physical—it’s emotional, protective, and wise.

Try the practice, and let me know what your pain has to say.

We often say we want to “make space”—in our schedules, our homes, our minds, our bodies. But space is not something we need to create. It’s not a commodity to acquire or an achievement to unlock.

Space is something we remember. Something we return to. It is the quiet presence beneath the noise, the open sky behind every cloud.

At any moment, space is here—waiting patiently beneath our busyness, our striving, our thinking. When we practice awareness—when we simply pause and notice—we rediscover the spaciousness that has always been holding us.

This awareness doesn’t have to be dramatic or mystical. It might begin with noticing the breath as it enters and leaves. The subtle contact of feet on the ground. The warmth of your own presence.

When we slow down, soften our inner grip, and attune to what is present without needing to fix, solve, or perform—space begins to reveal itself.
It shows up:

• In the pause between thoughts.
• In the breath we finally take all the way in.
• In the sensation of simply being, without needing to do.

And in that space, we find:

• Peace, as urgency and overwhelm begin to dissolve.
• Emotional regulation, as our nervous system shifts from vigilance to receptivity.
• Healing, as the body’s innate intelligence reorients toward coherence, wholeness, and repair.

Like a forest floor regenerating when left undisturbed, our bodies and minds know how to heal when given room to breathe.

Meditation is one of the most trustworthy paths back to this space.
Not a performance. Not a technique to perfect.
But a gentle, consistent invitation to return to the center of your own awareness.

With time, meditation expands our capacity to rest in the present moment—without clinging, without resisting. We begin to see that space isn’t out there to be chased—it’s in here, quietly abiding.

We become less hijacked by our habitual reactions.
We begin to respond, rather than react.
And in that response, there is clarity, compassion, and agency.

Meditation won’t shield us from life’s pain or unpredictability. But it helps us meet those experiences from a grounded, embodied spaciousness.
It reveals the stillness that doesn’t vanish in chaos—but holds it.

Through mindful presence, body-centered awareness, and tender inquiry, we don’t impose change—we allow it.
We don’t chase healing—we make room for it to unfold.

This is the art of presence.
This is how we begin to live from space—not just seek it.

By Devon Hornby, LMT, ABT

In the wisdom traditions of Asian medicine, health is not simply the absence of disease — it is the harmonious, coherent flow of energy throughout the body, mind, and spirit.
This vital energy, called Qi in Chinese, Ki in Japanese, and Prana in Sanskrit, moves through pathways, nourishing every tissue and maintaining balance across all systems.

As the Huangdi Neijing, one of the oldest Chinese medical texts, states:

“When Qi flows freely, there is no pain. Where there is pain, there is no free flow of Qi.”

What Disrupts Energy Flow?

Life events that create trauma — physical injuries, emotional stress, chronic tension, poor diet, and inactivity — block and disrupt this flow.
Over time, these blockages can solidify into patterns of chronic pain, illness, emotional instability, and exhaustion.

Often, people attempt to restore their sense of well-being through force:

• Vigorous, high-intensity exercise
• Excessive caffeine or stimulants
• Emotional intensity or adrenaline-driven activities

While these methods can temporarily move energy, they do so erratically.
Instead of restoring health, they often scatter the body’s reserves and strain the system further (Fruehauf, 1999).

As Peter Deadman, a leading scholar of Chinese medicine, notes:

“The fundamental principle of healing is not force, but the removal of obstruction and the restoration of flow.”

The Gentle Way: Restoring Natural Flow

True, sustainable healing arises not by forcing energy to move, but by clearing what obstructs it.
When the body is freed from internal blockages, its innate intelligence reestablishes balance — physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Healing practices that support this include:

• Lifestyle Changes: Whole foods, rest, emotional regulation.
• Gentle Movement: Qigong, Tai Chi, yoga, and mindful walking.
• Manual Therapies: Shiatsu, body-centered therapies, and craniosacral work release stored trauma.
• Meditation and Relaxation: Calm the mind and allow deeper energetic coherence.

As Ted Kaptchuk writes in The Web That Has No Weaver:

“The healer’s task is to facilitate the natural flow and allow the body’s wisdom to emerge, not to impose an external will.”

When the body’s energy flows freely and coherently:

• Healing responses are activated at the cellular level.
• Emotional resilience is restored.
• Vitality, creativity, and peace return naturally.

Energy moving gently maintains coherence — not chaotic stimulation.
Coherence allows the body’s natural frequencies of healing to strengthen and harmonize, leading to genuine transformation over time.

Healing Is About Allowing, Not Forcing

Rather than viewing the body as a machine to be pushed harder, Asian medicine sees the body as a living, intelligent ecosystem.
Healing comes by listening to it, supporting it, and removing the obstacles that block its natural flow.

In the words of the Tao Te Ching:

“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”

By honoring the body’s innate rhythms and gently clearing the path for energy to move freely, we invite a profound and lasting healing — a return to our natural, vital state.

References:

• Beinfield, H., & Korngold, E. (1991). Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine.
• Fruehauf, H. (1999). Chinese Medicine: Ancient Art and Modern Medicine.
• Kaptchuk, T. (2000). The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine.
• Deadman, P. (2001). A Manual of Acupuncture.
• Laozi. (6th Century BCE). Tao Te Ching.
• Huangdi Neijing. (circa 2nd century BCE). The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine.

Manual Therapy That Gets You Moving Again
From Devon Hornby, LMT, ABT

When you’re in pain, you want real relief—fast.
My manual therapy sessions are designed to address both acute and chronic pain effectively, often helping clients return to their workouts, jobs, or daily activities after just one session.

With over 30 years of experience in Asian bodywork, shiatsu, and manual therapy, I work with precision and presence to release tension, reduce pain, and restore natural movement. Whether you’re recovering from injury or managing chronic discomfort, my hands-on approach goes beyond symptom relief to support real, lasting change.

Clients have described this work as “life-changing”—and quick to work.

“I have been going to Devon Hornby for Asian bodywork for more than 20 years, with consistently excellent results. He is unsurpassed in his dedication, skill, professionalism, and genuine interest in the wellbeing of his clients.”
— Kathy C.

Common issues I treat include:

• Back and neck pain
• Shoulder and hip tension
• Workout-related injuries
• Headaches & jaw pain (TMJ)
• Sciatica and nerve pain
• Postural strain and chronic stiffness

No weekly sessions. Just results.
If you’re ready to get back to what you love—without pain slowing you down—let’s work together.

👉 Book or learn more at devonhornby.com

1. Take a Comfortable Meditation Posture

For this practice it is best to sit on a chair or cushion. Find a seated posture that is simple and comfortable. Starting in a chair could be good, as this will minimize physical distractions as you’re beginning to meditate. If you wish to meditate sitting on a cushion make sure you are comfortable. Make sure your spine is straight, as this supports a settled and wakeful mind. Your eyes are open and your gaze is slightly downwards in a relaxed manner.

2. Mindfulness of Breathing

The next element is mindfulness of your breathing. This means to place simple attention on the sensation of each breath moving in and out of your body. This should be gentle. You don’t have to focus hard or “concentrate” on your breathing, the way you might concentrate to take a test. Instead of “concentration,” mindfulness is more like how we pay attention to riding a bike: we notice riding the bike in a simple way, while also having space for relaxation and appreciation of our body, mind, and environment.

3. Let Thoughts Arise Naturally

As you are sitting with a good posture and noticing your breathing, thoughts will arise continually in mind. You can simply let them come and go, without trying to push them away and also without engaging with them. For example, if you wonder what you’ll have for lunch, simply notice the thought—without trying to stop it, and also without going into a further visualization of the food you have at home, restaurants in the area, and so on. Simply let thoughts come and go, without trying to push them away and without engaging with them.

4. Return to the Breath When the Mind Wanders

This leads into one of the most important meditation tips for beginner practitioners: expect your mind to wander, and don’t be upset or discouraged when this happens. As you meditate, you will find that your mind starts to wander and you become distracted by thoughts. (An example would be noticing that your attention has been occupied by imagining the restaurants in the area.) This is completely normal! Simply notice when your mind has wandered, and gently bring your attention back to your breath. When you notice that your mind has wandered, gently bring your attention back to your breath. If you like, you can label each thought “thinking” as you return to your breath.

Trauma affects both mind and body, often leading to chronic tension, emotional distress, and disconnection from oneself. Mindful movement, such as Tai Chi, offers a gentle yet powerful way to release stored trauma, restore balance, and cultivate well-being.

Mindful Movement and Trauma Recovery

Trauma can leave a lasting imprint on the nervous system, resulting in stress, hypervigilance, or dissociation. Tai Chi’s slow, intentional movements help regulate the nervous system, calm the mind, and enhance body awareness. By focusing on breath, posture, and fluid motion, practitioners release tension and develop a renewed sense of safety in their bodies.

Key Benefits for Trauma Healing

• Regulates the Nervous System: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system to reduce stress.
• Enhances Body Awareness: Encourages a deeper connection to bodily sensations and tension patterns.
• Builds Emotional Resilience: Cultivates patience, focus, and emotional regulation.
• Fosters Empowerment: Restores confidence and a sense of control over body and emotions.

Conclusion

Tai Chi and mindful movement provide a holistic approach to trauma healing. By integrating gentle motion, breath awareness, and mindfulness, these practices help individuals reconnect with their bodies, fostering resilience and lasting well-being.