I have recently been struggling with a bout of back pain. Whether it is from carrying around my toddler for the past 2.5 years on my hips or the wear and tear of moving and sitting in a way that has misaligned my lumbar spine, my introduction into chronic pain has not been pleasant. But then again, it’s pain and what pain is truly pleasant on the physical level?
One positive note that has come out my ongoing back problems is that now I am so aware of how I move myself. Whether it’s simply standing waiting for the water in my tea kettle to boil, picking up my daughter from her nap or just sitting at the computer, my awareness of how I use my body has increased exponentially. And for that, I’m grateful to this injury.
As a yoga practitioner and instructor, I’m very aware of how our movements affect us and how over the years, our conditioned ways of moving create misalignments in the body. I have always known this on an intellectual level and now, I am experiencing it first-hand. However long it takes for me to rehabilitate my back, I do know that because of this injury, my posture and my minute-to-minute movements have markedly improved. And my prowess as both a yoga practitioner and teacher have also markedly improved.
If you have dealt with chronic pain, I’d love to hear from you and how your injury affected and influenced you.