Just got home from YOGA. It's my first time since May. I wasn't quite ready to continue then, but I've been cleared from a physical stand-point and I could not be happier! I started doing yoga about 8 years ago and it suited my body's flexibility and my mind's desire to shut out the world for 75 minutes.
Going to class is a victory over the trauma by body sustained for the last 2.5 years; it's a celebration of being able to move in a fluid motion without pain. My flexibility is about half of what it was before, but my body's muscle memory was firing today. I have zero ability, at this point, to curve my torso in Up Dog, (I looked like a board) but I know it will become unglued and I will feel that glorious release of a reverse C at some point.
Yoga taps into my spirit and lifts me skyward. How could that be? The poses are challenging and you must concentrate on your breathing and what your body is doing, therefore, you can't be thinking about anything else. If your mind starts to wander, you start holding your breath and you tip over or the pose can fall apart in a second. The deep breathing and the joy that I feel when my body relaxes into a pose is freeing. I realize, more than ever, the healing power of our bodies and what a gift it to to be free of pain, even if it's for a while.
If you ever get a chance to experience a yoga class with a teacher that knows her stuff, try it. You will feel like you just came from the spa and had a massage and a therapy session all in one. The teacher I joined today always reads from an inspirational book at the end of class. I especially loved today's excerpts.
...Pay attention, listen wisely, then make your choices...
...we are taught that being compassionate to others first is the selfless thing to do, but being compassionate to ourselves is one in the same...have compassion for yourself today and see if it doesn't impact those around you.
Go in Peace.
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