In my late 20s I started having consistent neck and back pain. Yeah, there's the scoliosis, but I "threw my neck out" regularly, often just lifting my head off the pillow in the morning. I even missed a close friend's wedding because I was in so much pain.
You see, I would sit at a desk by day, and practice volleyball on weeknights, and play competitively in day-long volleyball tournaments on the weekends.
I was 20-something and felt like I was falling apart.
I found a book on yoga and began doing the Sun Salutations and asanas in my living room. Eventually I felt I needed the guidance of a teacher so I pulled out the Yellow Pages (remember those?) and looked up "yoga". I found Kim who taught weekly classes in the clubhouse of a development about 10 minutes from my house.
I was nervous. I didn't own a mat. And I really didn't know what I had signed up for. In volleyball I was asked to "push through pain" often playing with back strains, sprained ankles and broken fingers.
I didn’t know I would be asked to actually listen to (and respect) my body. I didn’t know I would be asked to pay attention to my breath. I didn't know I would sweat. I didn't know I would be asked to lie in stillness and silence with my own thoughts. The most distinct memory I have is feeling like I floated out of that first class and back to my car. I had never felt so… light.
The next day muscles I didn't know I had were mildly sore and I was also aware of my whole body in a way I had never experienced before.
I was hooked.
And so began a journey that would last a lifetime.
Ready to begin your own journey? Join me for a class... I'll meet you on the mat.
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