Just Keep Moving!
To say I was scared is putting it lightly. From the research I had done, life was about to change course. I began looking for natural remedies to help with the pain and stiffness and limited my activities. I enrolled in a Reiki I class. Reiki, an alternative medicine technique developed in Japan, uses energy to activate the natural healing processes of the body. I had been walking about 5 miles a day and doing yoga several times a week before the pain and stiffness began. I ignored it initially, thinking maybe I had just overdone it. After seeking medical advice, it was recommended that I see a specialist, a Rheumatologist, to confirm a diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Ankylosing Spondylitis is a type of arthritis causing inflammation between the vertebrae and in the joints between spine and pelvis. I was told that I likely had this autoimmune disease.
Finally the day came to see the specialist. The diagnosis? Degenerative disc disease related to my age. Her recommendation? Keep moving! Get back to yoga and walking. I still remember sitting in my car after the appointment with tears of relief and happiness running down my face. Thinking I had been doing the right thing, I had limited my activity to a point that I couldn’t walk half a mile without limping. Limiting my activity had been the worst action I could have taken.
That was three years ago. Today, I am in month five of a 10 month 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program! A journey of my heart. The big picture is yoga changed my life. Yoga is still changing my life and I need to offer this to others.
Five beautiful months learning about yoga, philosophy, poses and how to do them, chakras, pranayamas, and more. As we begin month six, we begin learning how to teach. I am feeling excited and a little nervous at the same time. I am also feeling gratitude for my journey, thankful for the strength of my body and breath, and eagerness to share the physical and spiritual benefits of yoga. Namaste.