Do you experience pain?
I often joke about how I can write a book on the pain and injuries that I have experienced since I started practicing yoga. The more I practiced, the more pain I felt. There was a time when I doubted myself and started to question my ability.
“Am I practicing yoga correctly?”
“Is yoga really for me?”
“Will the pain ever go away?”
“Does everybody feel pain like me?”
I have had red sore eyes, a stuffed nose, stiff shoulders, a rash all over my body, pain on my right wrist, a sore left big toe, a backache, stiff neck, weak knees and tight hips. And recently I discovered a cyst near my left ovary. But I have not stopped my yoga practice. Instead I want to learn how to conquer and befriend my pain. It is through all the pain and discomfort that I have found the strength to continue and learn. My physical pain has led me to do some research and read up on how to work with the pain. As a result I was able to share my learning with my clients, especially those who were experiencing similar pain and discomfort. I felt that this is my body, my pain and if I do not take care of it nobody will?
So the next time pain arises, choose your options wisely. You can either ignore, complain and think that you can’t do anything with it or you can choose to confront your pain and make changes to help you deal with it. Pain can teach us a lot about ourselves.