I woke to the all-to-familiar fiery jolt down my left leg as I landed back into the body and stretched out long in bed. OUCH! I retracted my outward stretch and let the calm return to my body. While trying not to dwell on the ongoingness of my latest issue, I began pondering the why of it all.
Why was I experiencing such a string of body issues? Although I did ride my bike to and from work, I hadn’t run in over a week. My efforts to let my sciatica, sore ankle, low back, this, that, and the other resolve has seemed futile. Where one pain ends, another one picks up. I don’t get it. It’s not like I’m OLD or anything. I’m only 46!
So what is it? It doesn’t appear to be just one thing. Or does it?
It occurred to me, in my hocus pocus mindset, that perhaps my mock up to access a more spiritual state had somehow lead to this string of injuries, aches, and pains. I mean, my body could very well be testing my ability to be mindful in light of its listen-to-ME calls: “You want to be all spirit, eh? Okay, girly. Go ahead. Just try to ignore me.”
Of course, I never could completely ignore my body.
So, I rolled out my mat and plopped myself down upon it for a little moving meditation, ashtanga style. I docked myPhone, pulled up my ashtanga playlist, and followed along as Shri K. Pattobhi Jois lead me in the opening mantra. I ommmed along with him and began my practice, taking my sweet, sweet time…sweeping my arms up, swooping them out and down, extending my back flat. Slowly, moving, breathing, and feeling my body release a little more with each pose.
The music lulled me into a meditative state. The songs switched from one to another, songs I’d selected for a more gentler practice, I moved from pose to pose and felt a peace fall over me. And all the while, images of me moving through life (past and present) passed in front of my mind’s eye. I breathed in and out, moved from pose to pose, and watched them play in slide show fashion.
By the time I was in and out of savasana, I’d come to accept that all was okay. Everything! Even the aches and pains that come and go, reminding me that I am alive and well!
Later the same day, I celebrated by going running. My body is thanking me today with a nice bit of validating soreness. I am alive and well.
The glass is half FULL, always…
It is crazy when the body doesn’t cooperate with what you want it to do or feel like….(It did that to me for 2 stinken years to the point I could barely even run by myself and I am a very social runner as you know Julie…) but then when all is working and just doing it feels good, you get an even greater appreciation for all you can do when you are doing it. Love you and I better get back to work….