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<p>Since I was about 15 years old, I had a “bad back.” There was no injury or anything obvious. I just remember bending over to put a dish in the dishwasher and I couldn’t stand up. I had excruciating pain down the lower right side of my back. Over the following decades, I either dealt with the pain or saw every kind of traditional and alternative doctor or specialist I could find. Nothing ever worked no matter how badly I wanted it to.</p>
<p>In 2001, on a whim, I thought yoga might be interesting to learn more about. I went to the bookstore and bought a couple very basic books. I remember the first time I stood with my feet hip distance apart and took ten deep breaths as I moved my arms out to the side and over my head on an inhale and back down on the exhale. My whole body and my mind felt different. Immediately I was hooked. I thought, “If just breathing differently can make me feel this good, I want more!”</p>
<p>I dove into learning more by buying beginner yoga videos. I live at least an hour from any yoga studio so regular classes weren’t an option. All I had was a home practice with my videos. After practicing a few days a week in the mornings before going to work, I noticed that I hadn’t complained about my back in a while. I started to notice how much more easily I could move my body.</p>
<p>Around this time I also got curious about meditation. Being a typical Type A personality, I wondered how the heck anyone could just sit still and not think about anything for any period of time. I mean, <em>how</em> do you <em>do</em> that? With some reading on the topic and some practice, I started incorporating a little meditation at the end of my yoga practice. And I started to realize that meditation is about <em>being</em>, not <em>doing</em>.</p>
<h2>Baby Steps Pay Off</h2>
<p>Today I notice a huge difference in how I feel not only physically (I move much more easily and with few aches) but especially mentally and emotionally. I can ride the waves of the day much more easily. I can handle whatever comes my way with ease. And I don’t have to find a quiet place and two hours to practice to get this.</p>
<p>I have three small children and little time or space. I practice in the middle of the living room for about 30 minutes with breaks to tend to the kids. They sometimes practice with me or (what I really love) they make up their own poses and names for their poses and teach me how to do them. Sometimes they just climb all over me while I’m practicing. They love to all climb on my back and pretend I’m a horse when I’m sitting on the floor, folded over in a forward bend. It’s so much fun for them to come tumbling down when I sit (rear) up. Did I mention that yoga should be fun too?</p>
<p>Yoga and meditation have taught me many things. One of the most valuable things is awareness. Taking the time to stop, just for a moment, and be aware of my body, my breathing, my thoughts and feelings and how they’re affecting me at the moment. Just noticing without judging anything as right or wrong, good or bad. It all just is. This awareness has made me realize that I have the power to decide how I want to feel, think and act in any situation. I don’t have to react in my old ways and get the same old results.</p>
<p>When I look back at my “pre-yoga” days and how I am now, I wonder how I made the leap. And I realize that it was by making a commitment in the beginning to just get started. To do something, anything. With my yoga practice, I went from a few deep breaths while moving my arms up and down to a more advanced daily practice. I can now easily do poses that a year ago I couldn’t have imagined myself doing.</p>
<p>How did I do it? With baby steps. I didn’t start with a grand vision of being a super Gumby-like yoga star. I just wanted to feel a little better so each day I tuned into my body and did whatever felt right that day. Some days I push harder. Other days I take it easy. And over time I move forward, learning more and appreciating what I have accomplished.</p>
<h2>Is Yoga for You?</h2>
<p>Do you think yoga is not for you? Do you think you’re too old, too heavy, too achy, have a “bad back” or other injuries? The beauty of yoga is that it truly is for everybody. The goal is not to be a thin, perfect yogini. The goal is just to feel better.</p>
<p>Start where you are and go from there with baby steps. If you have an injury or physical issue, find a yoga teacher who is familiar with your issue who can show you how to adapt your practice safely. There are DVD’s specifically about yoga for scoliosis, children, the elderly, runners, you name it, it’s out there.</p>
<p>There are also many types of yoga. There’s hot yoga or power yoga for the very active types. And there’s Yin Yoga for those who want a more relaxing practice. I reviewed a book <a href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/pick-your-yoga-practice-book-giveaway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>HERE</strong></span></a> about the myriad styles of yoga out there. <em>Yoga Journal</em> magazine (<a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/">www.YogaJournal.com</a>) is a wonderful resource to learn more about the various types of yoga, finding local yoga studios, learning more about specific poses or breathing techniques as well as the spiritual side of yoga. Google “yoga for ___ (whatever your situation is)” and you’ll find tons of resources.</p>
<p>I just read an inspiring article about a woman who started practicing yoga when she was 65 years old. She’s now 82 and loves to attend yoga conferences and has an impressive practice. I&#8217;ve also read about men and women who were grossly obese but started where they were in a yoga class.</p>
<p>Yoga isn’t just a form of physical exercise. It’s a way to see the world. Through yoga, you can heal yourself of a variety of physical and emotional issues. And, as I’ve learned, most physical issues are emotional issues. Your body’s aches and pains are its way of telling you that you need to address something inside you (fears, blocks, anger, negative beliefs, etc.). Louise Hay’s book, <a href="http://amzn.to/2E1iwkq" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heal Your Body A-Z: The Mental Causes for Physical Illness and the Way to Overcome Them</a>, is an alphabetical listing of physical ailments with their corresponding emotional causes. Whenever I have a physical issue, I refer to this book and meditate on the emotional issue, face it and deal with it. When I do, the physical issue is usually gone in a few hours.</p>
<p>Have you tried yoga yet? What are your experiences? How has it helped you? How and where do you practice? Let everyone know that yoga is for every body!</p>
<p>Namaste</p>
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The Healing Power of Yoga
