83. Expert Insights: Breath Work in Pain Management with Jill Miller

This podcast episode features Jill Miller, a fascia expert, who discusses the role of breath work in managing pain, particularly in individuals with hypermobility disorders like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Throughout the conversation, she emphasizes the significance of understanding fascia as the organizing tissue of the body and introduces self-fascial treatments and breathing techniques as practical approaches for managing tension and improving emotional and physical resilience. Jill talks about her book 'Body by Breath' as a comprehensive guide to physical and emotional resilience, detailing various techniques including her '5 P's of the parasympathetic nervous system'—perspective, place, position, pace of breath, and palpation—that help induce relaxation and enhance proprioception in bendy bodies. Highlighted exercises include breathing awareness and the use of therapy balls for low back decompression. The conversation also covers additional non-invasive treatments such as extracorporeal shockwave therapy. Jill underscores the importance of community support and individualized exercise plans, including strength training and high-intensity interval training, for maintaining physical function in hypermobile individuals.