Injury

Have you ever noticed that when you have an injury whether a niggling ache or something more serious your awareness is heighten? Everytime we move or touch that area, our feelings and thoughts are drawn like a magnet and every movement occurs with full awareness.

I try to see any injury as an opportunity for being mindful. We take our bodies so much for granted that most of the time we don't even consider them. We just expect them to move and function. When they don't we can feel annoyed that somehow this amazing structure which we live in, is conspiring against us!

So, if you have any aches or pains, niggles or areas which feel suddenly stiff and uncomfortable, use that feeling to practice mindfullness. Ask yourself some questions

What does the sensation really feel like? Does it change when I breath deeply? Can I close my eyes and really sit inside that area, exploring why and how it feels? What thoughts and feeling come up when I do that?

Be open to whatever answers come up. Use every feeling as an opportunity to get to know your body. If however the discomfort is really sharp, electrical in its sensation or so strong you can't breathe easily, don't sit with it! Get yourself checked out by your GP or a sports physio. Prevention is better than cure but early treatment is better than months or in some cases years of ignoring symptoms.

#injury #yoga