This morning during home practice
my thoughts walked a familiar path:
1. Rats. That left second toe still
hurts a bit. I’ll bet it’s from walking across the lake in my
big boots. It’s a bit red, too, and swollen. Like I need a toe
that’s as fat as the rest of me. Funny, that third knuckle on my
hand, the one that’s been bugging me for three months, is also on the left. Two small joints. That could be arthritis, some kind of deadly left-sided arthritis. Gran was
arthritic. Remember what she looked like by the end? That’s not good.
A few Sun Salutations later:
2. Holy Toledo, my shoulders are
tight. Feels good to stretch. Drop the front ribs, lift the back
ribs. At least think them in that direction.
3. God, it’s good to breathe.
What was I doing before? Using half a lung? Now I’m
BREATHING! This is good. Lungs are amazing things.
4. Tight hips. Rigid hips.
Stubborn, frustrated, frightened hips. Poor things. Breathe into
them. Let them go. Better. Good for you, hips, good for you.
5. Thanks, thanks, thanks for
this.
6. Love this body, love this body.
Every morning, I walk this path. Why
don’t I just live in steps 5 and 6? I have no idea. Perhaps I’m
a slow learner. Perhaps I need to be reincarnated a few more times. Perhaps I’m just a drama queen.
What’s more important is that I know how to find my way from 1 to 6.
Thanks to yoga for marking a path I want to take every single day. Thanks to all of us for walking that path together, and thanks to you for the conversation,
kristin
Dr.
Kristin Shepherd is a chiropractor, actor, and speaker (About All
Things Wonderful) in North Bay, Ontario. Join her on the web,
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