Sunday, January 29, 2012

Grow...Thrive...Love Energizes My Life. By Suzy Nece

When I took my first yoga class some 20 plus years ago – I left before sivasana(final relaxation) and was moaning, groaning, cursing (under my breath) – Thinking: ouch…people really do this  **$@(#@*($@!  
It was so slow and painful and boring! It wasn’t until I herniated a disc dancing, that I went back to the mat out of desperation.  I had tried everything: rest, physical therapy, acupuncture  - I was loosing my mind…and friends....It was then that the love affair began…. I was smitten with the flow! Ahh…the beautiful, sweaty scent of Ashtanga….that was the smell of my enlightenment.  I found a way to dance on the mat…. Injuries are opportunities to grow – to be creative with your practice and reinvent yourself.

That was the first time yoga saved my life… Yes, yoga saves lives – and not just your own.  Sometimes I think if it weren’t for my daily practice, I might hurt someone!  I regularly credit yoga (cheekily) for keeping me out of jail. 

Years later, I ran back to the mat (literally with my tail between my legs) battling IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).  My agro, fiery flow classes weren’t cooling my nerves.  Again, I tried everything…the tests, the drugs, the counseling… My body and mind were out of control. I couldn’t digest what the world was throwing my way. Once again yoga gave me my life back …I found my way to Iyengar yoga, creating mental and physical balance through proper alignment.  Pranayama (breathing techniques) was the key to calming my inner body and giving me peace of mind.  Breath control was the gateway to empowering my thoughts and beginning my “mind over tummy” battle.  Through stillness I discovered the healing sound of my own breath, and thanks to a well placed bolster, I learned how to prop myself up when I felt completely run down.  I was revitalized & began to thrive.

My most recent yoga renaissance came to me postnatal– I practiced yoga through out my pregnancy, up until the point when my ankles were so swollen they squished when I walked.  People were afraid to see me in class.  I was a giant monster rocking handstands in my 7th month.  This yogini was planning for a natural hypno-birth when life had a different plan.  One month early, with my blood pressure at 220/120 (preeclampsia), I had an emergency C-section and a premature baby. 

I am so grateful for the gift of my daughter but the hormones, sleep deprivation and breast feeding blues, took me to the edge of my sanity and mat again.  I had lost myself. I didn’t look or feel like I thought I was supposed to - I was tired, scared, angry, and couldn’t shake paranoid circular thoughts.  
I was stuck in the past, afraid of the future and missing the moment.  I wasn’t breathing.  Practicing yoga with my daughter was brilliant therapy.   She taught me to accept a “new normal”.  Watching her belly breathe when she was sleeping… opening my eyes to her experiencing the world for the first time…seeing her smile…her giggle, gave me purpose…I was reintroduced to my breath by a belly laugh!  That laughter I felt swelling in my gut wasn’t just about the money I was saving on psychotherapy… It was my whole being smiling…as I was at peace with my body and madly in love with my little girland my new yoga.  Laughing is breathing…It is the pranayama of bliss.  If we can laugh together, we can do anything together.  

Life is hard … yoga doesn’t have to be.   There isn’t just one body type, personality type or demographic for yoga.  There isn’t just one way to perform Triangle Pose (trikonasana). You can practice on your back, on your belly, on your side, on a wall, on a chair, on your head…it is all about looking at life from every perspective.  Broaden your worldview – look at yourself – your issues – your obstacles from every angle.  When you feel stuck in a rut turn your world upside down, when you are overwhelmed lie on your back- feel the arms of the earth open up and cradle you - open your body & mind to being supported - Do an entire practice with a human sandbag: a 10 lb baby… dance, sing, down dog! 

Transform your practice-transform your life!

Suzy Nece 200RYT
The Yoga Loft Manhattan Beach Owner, Manhattan Beach, CA