Before class begins, I try to choose a general theme to lace through my yoga instructions, so as not to get tongue-tied from the get-go.  This loose idea of what I’m going to offer to my students is almost always emphasized by the “you are perfect just the way you are” and the reminder to say “I love you” silently to yourself during all transitions (beginning with the hug after navasana).  What can I say?  The ongoing theme of choice is self-love!  One of my regular students mentioned that she appreciates this loving component because in any other fitness class she takes, the demand is for changing your body (making it different=better) and competing with others.  Sigh. 

Another student recently professed that she was an avid runner in her youth.  She explained how her feet would start to blister, and she would push through, running even further until there was blood on her socks (sorry to be so gross, but I promise that I’m emphasizing a point here).  She would pull a muscle, so she’d take some medicine and run through the searing pain.  She got to a point where she had to wear a knee brace each time she ran, but she never stopped running.  She did a lot of damage to her body, and she was always pushing her body past it’s limit. 

Our body sends us signals when it needs a break.  During college I used to almost always get a stuffy nose, sore throat, and other cold symptoms right after I arrived at home for winter break.  I had pushed my mind and body by running around finishing up end-of-semester papers and projects in a whirlwind marathon.  By the time I got home, my body would crash.  Was this healthy?  Not so much.  Thank goodness I found yoga!  Or perhaps yoga found me?!

This past weekend I had a student complain about the recent development of lower back pain during boat pose.  She said she was going to stop practicing the pose until her back didn’t hurt anymore.  I offered her some modifications of this pose that she can do in the interim. But, the important thing here is that she is paying attention to her body and taking care of herself.  Yay!

Be gentle and kind to your body.  Modern medicine can do wonders, but it can’t fix permanent damage. This doesn’t mean you can’t challenge yourself!  But it does mean that you listen to the subtle signals and pay attention to how you are feeling, so you can hopefully prevent injury from occurring, or prevent an injury from getting worse.       

Needless to say, please take care of your body.  It’s the only one you’ve got!

What is your body telling you that it needs today?

Choose love,
Grace

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