Yoga

I've been back to see Sharon, my yoga instructor this week. We have settled into a pattern of a 1-2-1 session every 5/6 weeks with me practising at least 4 days out of 7 inbetween sessions, and I can telephone/email her with any queries.

Yoga was always one of those things that I saw my closest friends doing, enjoying and living, it was something I had tried in various forms, but it was something I just didn't get. Til I met Sharon.

There are no pretenses with Sharon, no fancy airs or graces. She offers me tailored yoga sets to meet my spinal fusion needs and she doesn't expect me to change my life style to do it. 

I can absolutely tell you Clanettes, in utter certainty, if only for myself at least, that yoga is helping my recovery. There are days when it just loosens me up and helps me carry on lifting and bending, and there are days, like when I get a new (harder!) set that I know, because the evidence is there, that I can reach further than I was, stretch deeper and breathe better.

I urge you. If you have even the faintest interest, or passing thought that yoga could help you, that you might even just try it for enjoyment, then do try it. You've got nothing to lose, but everything to gain!

Yoga

I have 'dabbled' in the concept of Yoga in the past. I have been to classes here and there, I even took a 10 week intro class with the Yoga Sanctuary and discovered that their 'religious' approach to yoga didn't suit me - I appreciate that yoga is in  fact a religion, but I like to think you can practice it and appreciate it without joining, what felt like to me, a beautifully presented, softly softly, in essence 'cult' at the Sanctuary!

I have been suffering with stiffness now that I am post-op and back to exercise - I don't know how to stretch any more and I have been floundering. Anyone who knows Lucy (and Dave) will know that they embrace Yoga as a way of life and they are now on a teacher training course to enable them to teach Yoga to others - so when Lucy suggested that I try a 1-2-1 with Sharon, a lady who Lucy does a weekly class with, I was sold. Perfect! Sharon is lovely lady, very practical, very easy to talk to - right up my street and I have enjoyed my first two meetings with her.

In our first meeting we talked about my life style, my daily routine, my surgery, life pre and post op, when I fit things in that are just for me, what I want to gain, and then she went away and wrote me a 'posture set', which we went through in our second meeting. It is a very easy, gentle set to get me started on the road to greater stretch - and I guess Yoga knowledge.

And so I am enjoying spending 15 minutes on myself early in the morning - not everyday, Sharon and I agreed that 3 times a week is enough to start, and if I can do it 4 times all the better.

Spending time on myself involved a new yoga mat, and some candles - obviously - just because I'm not particularly interested in the religion of Yoga, doesn't mean I don't like to honour the divine feminine. Lucy replaced my broken Yoni ('female') statue when we were in Glasto last week and I am thrilled to be able to burn votive candles again. I treat myself to the large candle - brand new just for Yoga. Love a little bit of quiet time! Love a little bit of magic in the morning.

I go back to see Sharon in 3 weeks, then we'll 'tweak' what I'm doing and talk about my breathing. Then if I'm happy, I'll see her every 5 weeks and we'll move onto meditation in Yoga.

In addition, I have also embarked on some cranial osteo and am considering a juice detox - more on those in posts to come. Needless to say, I am very excited, I feel like I am taking postive action over my body - limits in the months to come will be gently pushed and anything I can't do going forward, won't be because I didn't try!

Thanks for reading Clanettes, thanks for your continued support x x