Lifelines – Yoga and Healing

What’s your lifeline?

One of my lifelines is YoBa.

YoBa is a hot yoga and barre studio in my neighborhood.

While I had trained for many years in martial arts, with a year in Pilates, and a few yoga classes many years ago, I had never gone to a hot yoga class, not to mention barre. I had seen another barre studios, skinny girls with leggings walking in and out. My shape doesn’t lend itself to that.

I could never do that, so I thought.

When YoBa opened, I couldn’t be more excited. I had been waiting to find a movement studio, dance, yoga, something where I could move. I signed up for an opening week special. Best money I spent – ever. EVER. At the time, I didn’t have a lot of resources since I was preparing for surgery, and it was the last little bit. But I knew I needed to be there.

I had been diagnosed with fibroids that were growing, beginning to cause some additional symptoms that were affecting my quality of life. I was preparing for surgery. And there were some other unknowns in my life. I was devastated on so many levels. I was stressed beyond what I thought I could handle in looking at the logistics of coordinating a surgery with so many unknown factors coming into play.

So I walked in the door.

And let it out on the mat.

Breathe.

Sweat.

Live.

No perfect model here. I modify the poses. Sometimes I feel like an uncoordinated two-year old. I have fallen on balance poses. I will use the wall for stability. Or go at a pace all my own.

My first barre class, I had no idea what I was in for. Barre challenged me in ways I could have never expected – we have muscles there??? Breathe, just breathe. Move, just move. And I found that I could kick some ass- and have fun!!

At the end of class, red faced, lavender cold towel on my forehead never felt so refreshing. So alive.

YoBa has saved my life. And I’m not the only one.

For those with medical conditions, yoga is a low to high impact exercise that not only stretches the body, but also focuses the mind. It is one practice that is a way to connect with the body in a healthy way. Movements, breathing, and posture connect the mind with the body, learning fluidity and flexibility, and discovering self love on a body that, when our bodies fail us, we often struggle with a love-hate relationship.

The benefits of yoga and healing are explored in On Being, a podcast hosted by Kristina Tippett:
Restoring the Body: Yoga, EMDR, and Treating Trauma
The Body’s Grace

My practice has changed over time.

In preparing for surgery, I focused all my classes on barre, knowing that I needed to strengthen my abdominal muscles. And, for the mental strength. I needed to tap into the ass-kicking energy barre inspires. Of course, Murphy’s Law did come to play when, at a post-op appointment, my surgeon mentioned that I would be more bruised because my abdominal muscles were so strong.

I waited over four months to go back, and even then I was very timid. I was scared I would do something to hurt me. It helped having a couple of one-on-one classes to slowly build my confidence back up.

I did create a home practice that mixed light yoga, slow barre poses, and light stretches. Thirty minutes first thing in the morning was a non-negotiable time. Me with my headphones on, taking it slow and easing back into a compilation of movements.

That’s also when I experienced some strange symptoms after surgery, and since we didn’t know what was going on, I was even more fearful. I stopped yoga all together until the strange symptoms were diagnosed. And I found myself with an untreatable complication after surgery. I was angry, disappointed, devastated all over again. Hadn’t I had enough grieving for one lifetime? I had spent two entire years of my life focusing on healing, dedicated to creating a cocoon of healing and WTF – it didn’t work. I was at a loss for what I needed.

It wasn’t until my father and stepmother gifted a set of yoga classes for Christmas that I stepped back in the door.

Letting go.

I stopped being afraid of hurting myself because there wasn’t a doctor that knew what to do with me. My fear response was on overdrive and I needed to learn how to function in the unknown. And the unknown was smacking me in the face. So I let go completely. I could give it my all.

I strategically placed my classes around times when I needed it the most. The evening after a doctor’s appointment. A Saturday morning when my husband was travelling. Friday evening after a long week. YoBa is a space to detox from thoughts of fear. It brings be back to my breath. To my body. To my center. To moving. Returning.

To Living.

Whether it’s yoga, walking in the woods, sunshine, water, lifelines keep us going.

They connect us with life, with ourselves, and with others.

And there are times when we need to lean into them. Sometimes it’s all we have at the moment to lean on.

Lifelines create a focus point, an experience that will pull you through the toughest of times. While we can call on people or things as our lifelines, it’s the experience with the person or with the object that creates energy to keep moving forward. And the experience calls us to connect with life.

What’s your lifeline?

Try something new – and explore what brings you back to life!

 

Megan Cutter, Barton Cutter, or Cutter’s Edge Consulting do not provide any medical advice. You should always consult your physician to discuss specific symptoms and conditions. Please see Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Coaching Disclaimer & Liability.