Yoga

When I was pregnant, I went to a few pre-natal yoga classes and despite the fact that I’ve never been all that flexible, I found that it helped. Once my first baby came and I had to figure out how to fit in work, breastfeeding, pumping, being a mom, etc., yoga fell by the wayside. Actually I think the main thing I had to prioritize was sleep!

Once I had to close my law firm and we moved to Miami, I realized that the aftermath of my leg surgery left my leg muscles really super tight. I wasn’t very flexible to begin with, but it was far worse after they’d cut me open and drilled down the length of both femurs to make room for the titanium rods.

My orthopedic surgeon recommended gentle or chair yoga and we found a convenience and accessible chair yoga class close to our new home. My mom and I started attending the class over a year ago and, at first, we were often the only attendees. The class, which meets every Monday, Wednesday and Friday has grown tremendously in size, but those first months of just us meant that the instructor got to know us and our limitations quite intricately.

The class has grown quite a bit.

We average 6 to 10 people now and our instructor manages to keep it fresh and different by changing up the exercises. The physical benefits of yoga have been amazing. I’m far more flexible than I was and now I know several exercises to target the areas that get tight and cause more pain.

The larger benefits of yoga, beyond the physical, are the breathing and focusing practice. I’ve learned to relax muscles individually by “sending my breath” to them. It seemed hokey and weird at first but I’ve reaped the benefits in so many ways.

You see, I’m in pain all the time. ALL.THE.TIME.

I use CBD oil to help with the pain and it does but the pain is there. Using the techniques I’ve learned in yoga have come in handy for daily living, periods of stress/scanxiety, undergoing scans, and in parenting. I breathe with my kiddos in times when they are upset, stressed, etc.

I’m grateful that yoga has been such an integral part of my life and I only wish I’d made time for it before.