Today is a day of recovery for me. Most people do not attend a restful and healthful three day yoga retreat and then come home to recover, but such is the nature of life with chronic illness. Yet I will welcome this time of recovery over and over again if it means I can continue on this path to wellness. I have learned many things so far on my path, and the one lesson that appears repeatedly is that this is a process. Healing takes time, and although I am caring for myself better than I ever have, there is still an unpredictable nature to fibromyalgia I cannot avoid. Setbacks, sidesteps, and … [Read more...]
My Journey in Healing: The Efforts and the Rewards
It has been nearly two months since I started my yoga teacher training program and I have learned so much. The Benefits: Yoga heals. A recent study on yoga for fibromyalgia conducted at Oregon Health & Science University confirms what I have been experiencing since beginning my yoga practice 18 months ago - "yoga appears to assist in combating a number of serious fibromyalgia symptoms, including pain, fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, depression, poor memory, anxiety and poor balance. All of these improvements were shown to be not only statistically but also clinically significant, meaning … [Read more...]
Passing the Invisible Boundary
If one advances confidently in the direction of their dream, endeavoring to live the life they are imagining, he will put somethings behind. He will pass the invisible boundary. ~Emerson I dream of being whole. I dream of healing. I dream of living with passion and with purpose and without pain. I am not there yet, but I am headed confidently in that direction. After one month of yoga teacher training, I am certain I am on the right path. In this short time I have learned that although suffering exists, so too does happiness, and I have the ability to nurture my happiness, which in turn … [Read more...]
Find the Space Between Pleasure and Pain, and Rest There
Recently a great conversation began on the FibroHaven Facebook page when I asked this: What do you do when you are having a relatively good day, but suddenly hit a wall? Do you push through, or do you slow down and give in to it? There is a BIG brick wall looming just ahead of me. Can't decide if I want to try and hurdle it or lay down before I smash my face into it! Let's discuss. I would love to know how you manage. There were many great responses that are worth taking the time to read. After reading them I knew I wanted to continue the conversation with a new blog post, and as often … [Read more...]
Lucky Number Two
I was so pleased to have the opportunity to review Yoga for Fibromyalgia and to offer a free copy to one lucky commenter. Andrea was the second person to leave a comment, and her lucky number was selected by Random.org. I wish I had 50 copies to give away! It was fascinating to me reading all of your comments. The first thing that became clear was - we want to heal! Everyone was so encouraged and excited about a resource tailored specifically to our needs, and to my testimonial as to how much yoga has improved my life. I was inspired by your enthusiasm. Second there was the always … [Read more...]