In a way you could say it was beneficial for me that I could not practise my normal physical yoga for six months. Here´s a story of injury and recovery and how I discovered how physical yoga practice runs deep, deep within the body.
At the beginning of the year I fell while skiing. I broke my right upper arm and dislocated the shoulder. From feeling strong and well with regular yoga suddenly I could not move. A difficult part in the whole situation was also that I had decided, right before it happened, that This Is My Year.
One or two days after the fall two realisations kicked in: 1) I was going to come back to feeling strong and moving with ease again quickly, and 2) Life was telling me to stop everything and just relax. I understood frustration would only prolong the healing of the shoulder/arm region. Not resting would mean not listening to Life. Of course I was disappointed with the whole incident. It is natural! In the months prior to this I had noticed there was less ease and space in the body if I left my yoga practice to two times a week instead of three. The thought now of my body stiffening up day by day as I could not move freely was not fun. But it was the situation I was in.
Forward to several months later and the arm/shoulder region is healing more and more. Summer arrives I can move in the sea and know things are getting better. And then, six months after the fall, I am finally back to doing something close to the yoga practice I am so fond of. Strength is coming back. The fear of the upper arm popping out of the shoulder girdle is 99% gone from my head.
And here is what I notice: A kind of sturdiness that I had taken for granted after years of regular yoga practice is not there anymore. It is as if I used to have a central line going from top to toe in my body and now I don´t feel connected to it. Instead I feel wobbly deep within. It is not really about balance. It is more a sensation of less inner connectedness. So now I am in the process of restoring it! I am excited that I get to experience this. If I had not stopped yoga for an extended period of time I would not be aware of this sensation. By the way I can´t think of any other movement practice that will give you this feeling.
In addition to being amazed about how our bodies can recover, the power of our minds to decide we will get well again, I find it exciting to discover how much physical yoga can affect us when we practise regularly. Perhaps 2026 is my year after all?!
Wishing you well! Annette X
