Starting Over After Injury
You are on top of your game, feeling the best you have in years and putting in the time to be the best version of yourself, only to have an injury bring you right back to square one. Don't get lost in the "poor me" mindset and keep on pushing forward.
First hand experience
“ I was starting to slide into a depression from not knowing what my future would be and was missing my old fitness packed life.”
When I signed up to do my Yoga Teacher Training I was the most advanced I had ever been on my mat. Headstands and advanced postures were part in my daily practice, I was powerlifting three times a week and hit up my local rock climbing gym at least once a week. I felt amazing and was so proud of how far I had come. Then one night I was standing by my campfire everything changed. I felt a pop and heat radiated up my whole back into my head. I went to bed thinking I could sleep off the pain but when I woke up I couldn't even move my neck. I couldn't look up or down and could barely walk. I just broke down and started to cry, at that moment I didn't know if I would ever be the same.
Having this debilitating and mystery injury was so scary and after a few weeks of no improvements I was starting to slide into a depression from not knowing what my future would be and was missing my old fitness packed life. I was wondering if I had to get a refund on my teacher training because I couldn't even sit or lay on my mat without pain. Becoming a yoga teacher was a dream I was not ready to give up on so I decided to take things one step at a time and go get some professional help for my injury.
One step at a time
The first step to my recovery was finding the source of the problem and working it out from there. After countless appointments with a chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist and physiotherapist I had discovered that my gluteus maximus (my butt) was the problem. I was in one of those "wrong place, wrong time" moments and the way I was standing mixed with a tight glute had sent a shockwave of pain and muscle spasms throughout my spine, shoulders, hips and back. The good news was that I now knew what area I had to work on in order to get the rest of my body functioning properly. I got shockwave therapy, foam rolled, pressure point treatments, taped up and stretched out. I was trying so hard to get back to the way I was but the only thing I couldn't control was the time my body needed to heal.
Starting again
With little improvement in my physical and mental state, I was really nervous starting my yoga teacher training program. I thought I might not be worthy of such a title when I couldn't even preform most of the moves I once didn't even think twice about. But, something inside me was not ready to give up. I showed up to the training feeling a little embarrassed of my limitations but within minutes I knew this was where I was supposed to be. There were women of all walks of life there and it was clear that everyone was there to support one another, no judgement what so ever.
Although I wasn't able to impress the class with my super cool moves I had once mastered, I did manage to impress myself week after week by seeing the improvements my body and mind were making. It took me 5 1/2 months of yoga everyday for my body to get to the starting point of my original yoga journey.
Seeing the silver lining
The most amazing part of this whole process for me was that I was able to learn yoga from a completely new perspective. Before my injury, I never knew how easy it was for my body to bend. I took for granted my functional strength and flexibility and never realized what yoga was like for a complete beginner. Because I started my yoga journey while I was already pretty fit, I kind of jumped into an intermediate status without really learning the foundations of the asanas from a beginners view. Now, I am so happy that I had to do my training with this injury because I not only learned to modify poses for myself but am able to understand limitations of clients I could not even grasp before. Not only was I able to gain perspective and knowledge for the postures but I had a new experience with meditation. I didn't even realize I needed it until one class we were practicing an Osho meditation and 30 minutes in, my eyes just started to cry. I didn't know what was happening, my eyes just poured and poured. But after that class, I could feel I had changed and that my old physical and mental trauma I had been holding onto had been released. I truly learned first hand the power of meditation and a daily yoga practice. I healed my body and gained so much appreciation for it. If it wasn't for my injury, I wouldn't have had the amazing experience to learn something I thought I knew through the eyes of someone else. It will take time for your body to heal, but think of it as a journey to learn or relearn something from a new perspective. You will gain much more strength this way, trust me. Namaste Love Nastassja
