Today, I celebrate a strong soul who I feel blessed to work with. With her permission, I write her story; with a promise to protect her identity. Her story is worth sharing as it will help so many to understand what true inner power is!
This soul is a cancer survivor, mom of three, and shares the role of a provider for her family. After stepping into remission, she started putting her life together piece by piece. She lives life so gracefully and you will not hear her complaint or blame "things" on the past.
Taking care of her responsibilities, she knew she was forgetting one important piece. "Herself!"
She loves to walk. She continued to walk but in time, her ankles started giving up on her. Walking gave her peace but that was becoming painful
She was committed to giving herself time to get stronger for herself and her family. She started practicing "Chair Yoga" once a week.
In the begining her obervations and questions were simple and endearing. "Why am I not able to breathe from my belly? Why does this exhaust me when it looks simple? I find savasana the hardest! I don't think my body is flexible."
As a teacher, I saw an amazingly flexible body wanting strength. I would cue like any other Yoga teacher you may have heard: "listen to your body. It gives you signs. Honor your body limits and you will grow with your practice."
She continued with Chair yoga for a few months and the pandemic hit! Virtual classes were not an option for her as it was difficult to prioritize. She knew she had to take control of the situation and get back to practice.
In September 2021, she started practicing Chair Yoga once a week. The next month, she committed to practicing Yoga 5 days a week! October and November were like the "Honeymoon period" (like she calls it!)
Decemeber onwwards, her ankles started bothering her again.
She was hesitant in continuing the practice as she was worried if she was going to hurt herself.
We discussed her current body condition. We accepted that her body is flexible (as she experienced it herself) but lacks the strength. She could go back to chair yoga practice and also use variations offered in class to address her ankle support her current level of practice.
It was not easy! Questions became mature and more about "then and now"!
The body used a lot of energy to serve what the "eyes saw" and "mind thought" the body could do. One of ego's role is about feeding theinner sense of self. She is faster learner than I can teach in a group because she is so much in touch of her inner power.
She started applying all the variations offered to her, taking breaks when she needs to and committing to meeting herself where she is on that very day! This is not easy!!!
There a constant biased competiton between physical and mental energies. It is easier to address the physcial pain. It is more difficult to analyase that inner voice.
If the voice says "you can do more", our question should be "with respect to who." If the voice says you can do better, our question should be "with respect to what."
Moment to moment, being aware of our energy and meeting body where it is today will help us heal, get stronger, and more efficient
We constantly seek for more. We set a goal. Strive for it. Reach it. Then want more. That is our ego: hungry for more.
This humble soul is living moment to moment. Shows up on the mat. Stays for the whole hour. Gives every posture the same attention as the previous one, works on connection of breath and movement. Her questions are mature and deep.
She keeps moving, not caring if she is soaring high and hovering over the ground...she keeps flying!
If your arm is hurt, use your legs...find a way to move honoring what you can do right now...you will fly soon!

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