After suffering a hockey injury to his ankle and living with residual pain for ten years, Shawn, founder of Minditude, sought a new way to deal with his chronic pain. Inspired by an interview he heard on a podcast, he learned about Z-health, a company focused on “embracing the power of brain-based training.”
Shawn studied neuroscience at the University of Michigan and was intrigued about the mind-body connection and the brain’s relationship to pain. As an athlete, he was all too aware of the ‘walk it off’ and ‘play through the pain’ attitudes that permeate sports locker rooms, particularly with men. He sought to learn more about treating athletic injuries and helping the body heal naturally, so he attended a Z-health training in San Diego.
Newly equipped with knowledge of joint mobility exercises for different types of pain, he began to practice the moves on himself, and within a few days, he found relief from his ankle pain. Continuing to practice these mobility exercises with family members, Shawn began to realize he could help alleviate the physical pain of individuals who had suffered for years, giving them hope and a mental shift towards an attitude of gratitude.
img_8808.jpg
In 2020, Shawn founded Minditude, a company that offers access to movement lessons mixed with mindfulness and gratitude practices to help subscribers benefit in both mind and body. Its philosophy is that change is possible, and by aligning your mind with your attitude before beginning the training, there is hope.
During this COVID-19 crisis, many members of the Ismaili community have stepped in to serve their communities and their Jamat in various ways, lending their expertise to serve a need. Shawn noticed that there was not as much programming available for seniors as there was for youth during this quarantine period, especially involving physical activity.
Many elderly Jamati members suffer from chronic pain and have all but given up hope that it can be treated. After helping his mother-in-law overcome tinnitus and his father’s suffering from a previous shoulder injury, he sought to share his techniques with many more people, especially seniors.
Shawn is offering group classes to Jamati members free of charge during the COVID-19 quarantine period, to keep people connected, moving, and pain-free. He conducts video classes with senior Jamati members through Zoom, to help with their mobility, offer some solutions to their chronic pain, and have some fun while connecting virtually.
The classes have been a hit, gathering interest from Jamati members all around the world. Shawn offers these sessions free of charge and does not use this platform to promote his company or to try to upsell to participants. His goal down the line is to offer wellness clinics to the Jamat, along with his wife Azra Bhimani, who is a physician, offering both joint mobility sessions and wellness checks.
Shawn’s passion for what he does and the satisfaction he feels from impacting someone’s life in such a positive way radiates through his voice when he’s asked about what he does. It is clear that making a difference drives him, as he aims to have a positive impact on people’s lives and alleviate their pain when they assumed all hope was lost.
“You can even do it sitting on your couch,” says Shawn, whose classes are very low-impact and incorporate breathing exercises to open and close the sessions. Some of his clients come to him when all other physical therapies and medication efforts have failed. His face lights up when describing the impact his classes have had on one woman who was bedridden for a year and now has very low mobility. Within two weeks, she has begun to walk without a cane and can climb the stairs at home with a significant reduction in pain. The movements are simple but deeply rooted in neuroscience, taking a Z-health approach.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Shawn created the ‘#SmileandMoveChallenge’ – a series of 11 fun mobility exercises that incorporate simple movements for different body parts through silly movements, aimed at increasing mobility and bringing a smile during these challenging times. His goal is to reach one million people by 2030, helping them regain their mobility while reducing their pain.
Shawn is engaged in stem cell research at UCLA, focusing on developing T-cells and B-cells for immunotherapy for blood disorders, such as leukemia. Just recently, his lab started doing COVID-19 related research.
