Tweaked

Tweaked

Since I turned fifty, my yoga practice has been delicate and more sensitively driven than when I was younger. Every pose in yoga has alternative ways of doing it, using yoga blocks, blankets, straps, and wedges to help keep pressure off of areas of your body that need your mental attention. No pose has to be perfect. In fact, the perfect pose in yoga is when you do it according to the prerequisites of your body. I’m assuming that every exercise regimen can follow those simple rules.

I do talk a great deal about unlimited God and good. I believe prosperity and wisdom abounds as you believe you are a child of God. However, whenever we speak of unlimited good, we don’t often talk about how our physical self sometimes becomes limited by the age or by injuries.

I keep myself secure and free from harm when I live within constraints that protect my body. If I had IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), I’m not going to subject my body to large amounts of caffeine, raw vegetables, and insoluble fiber; because I know that this will cause stomach cramps and diarrhea. If I have had a heart attack, I don’t eat fatty food and over exert myself on a stifling hot day. If I have a broken hand, I’m not going to try to lift a piano.

With what measure we are physically limited, we take the proper precautions, either to keep ourselves from more pain or to heal from the problem. This isn’t a lack of prosperity or health. This is sense!

If you have bad knees, make sure that in your exercise you wear a knee brace. Don’t try to turn your leg inward without turning your foot first! Don’t do yoga’s pigeon pose without a blanket under the opposite hip. Take precautions!

The other idea is that you must keep in mind that, as you get older, you are less likely to be able to do more agile movements. For instance, I went to an amusement park with my family last week. Roller coasters, twirling seats, and rides that jerk my neck back are now off limits for me—and my stomach.

I went bowling a few days before that. I think that bowling is now off my to-do list, as I spent three days with a stiff neck and made two appointments for massages and acupuncture. I spent $200 trying to fix a two-hour fun time with the family—not an equitable exchange, indeed.

Then two days later I decided to try a difficult yoga pose while teaching class. As you can imagine, if you do a pose that takes your effort and concentration in front of a class of thirty people, you are not going to have the inward focus you will need to listen to your body. So, in an effort not to fall over in front of my students, I pulled at my knee, giving myself a tweaked kneecap. I had to wear a knee brace today to teach without pain and to protect myself from further hurt and pain.

Limitation is part of aging. I guess, we should all just accept that and move on. Some men and women can prolong this process by pushing gently into their bodies and keeping it agile. Others, like me, are subject to injury because of family genes that produce an arthritic condition that I can’t seem to change. Believe me, I have tried everything vitamin, diet, and therapy my entire life.

Today, I am just glad that I can recognize my limitations and proceed with caution. If I can live a day without pain, believe me, I’m going to. The only way I can avoid the excusable—but avoidable tweak—is to be vigilant and listen to the voice of my body, every day, every moment.

Namaste.

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Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.

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