They try to tell me go to rehab but I said NO, NO, NO.

Hey guys! And Happy Monday!

 

This morning I went to a 9:00am yoga class that was really awesome. Exactly what I needed. Jen, our teacher, led us through a really calming (yet somehow still kicked my butt) practice and really focused on how Monday is a fresh start, a time to erase anything that happened this past weekend, or even the week before, and start fresh. She spoke so eloquently and I felt really connected to my practice this morning. I enjoyed every second and couldn’t believe 90 minutes had gone by at the end.

 

I got back home, ready for something yummy (as usual). I had some FAGE 2% with a chopped organic pink lady and 1/4 of homemade granola in another new IKEA bowl. I love this one…

I just think food tastes better when it is presented beautifully, or in a bowl or on a plate that you really like. Don’t ya think?

 

A couple hours later I went back for…lunch? I guess it’s gonna be a snacky day!

Just a Rudi’s Organic Whole Grain Wrap with turkey, avocado, cucumber and salt and pepper. Perfect.

 

And now for the very first, Off the Mat…

 

 

 

Off the Mat

So I thought I’d start by telling you where it all began and how I even got into yoga in the first place. But first you need to know a little background information…It’s a bit lengthy but it’s a huge part of how I got where I am today.

 

I was a gymnast for 9 years. My parents started me in gymnastics when I was 3 because I was basically doing back flips from couch to couch as a kid. What can I say…I was a natural! I LOVED gymnastics and especially loved tumbling. By the time I was 13 or so I had had enough gymnastics and decided to go the cheerleader route. Oh yes my friends. It’s true. I decided to start cheerleading because I really loved the floor exercise in gymnastics and wanted to continue with my tumbling.

 

I started cheering on a competitive co-ed squad and training with tumbling coaches who were performers in Cirque de Soleil.  I tumbled for hours every week between private sessions and group practice. Then came the injuries. I went through my first round of physical therapy in 9th grade, getting treatments ranging from basic stretches and strength exercises to infrared and electric shock therapy, and went back and forth until the end of my freshman year of college. First was my whole right leg. I hurt my knee and ankle and practically looked like I had a bionic leg thanks to all of the bandages and braces they put on me! But like an idiot, I still continued to tumble despite my injuries.

Fast forward about a year and half later and I had my first “incident” with my back. For weeks I had been having pain in my legs. Numbness, tingling, and sharp shooting pains all down my legs, especially the right leg. I continued with my tumbling sessions but each time I did my tumbling passes I would lose feeling in my legs, collapse to the floor, crawl away and wait for the feeling to come back, and do it all over. For hours at a time.  One morning I woke up and couldn’t walk. Literally couldn’t do anything. Walk, get myself dressed, or even sit comfortably without severe pain in my lower back and legs. It lasted for a few days and I finally got an MRI. Sure enough, I had a herniated disc at L4-L5. I was 15.

 

I was able to “get better” with the help of a chiropractor. I visited three times a week, did exercises to strengthen my core and back, and did the stretches that I was told would help. Unfortunately though, the chiropractor only masked the symptoms and didn’t really help to solve the actual problem. I continued to tumble, my tricks better than ever. I could tumble forwards, backwards, and every which way you could possibly imagine. I even began running, working my way up to 4 and 5 mile runs everyday, a huge feat for me since I had never been a runner.

 

About two years later when I was almost 18, I woke up and couldn’t walk again. Only this time it was worse. I couldn’t walk, move, breathe without bursting into tears. The pain was excruciating and I felt quite helpless. I couldn’t even put on my own clothes (and by clothes I mean UNDERWEAR!) without help because I couldn’t do anything but be still. Even sitting on the couch hurt. I had to be carefully lowered (by someone else) onto the couch and propped up with perfectly placed pillows. I had to be lifted into the car to go to the doctor . It lasted for a whole week this time.

 

I was crushed. After 9 years of gymnastics and 6 more years of tumbling, I had to be sedentary, unable to do the most basic things like walk and stand for extended periods of time. No more running, no more tumbling, no more anything. I felt so lost, especially since I had been so active my whole life. With the help of a chiropractor I was able to get back on my feet and functioning again. I began swimming a couple months later, as that was the only activity that didn’t hurt. I really loved the water and still do!

 

Anywho. Being the stubborn person that I am, I tried to run and do the same things I used to do but my body just couldn’t handle it. Even too much walking or standing would mean a sleepless night with lots of pain. Luckily I was just beginning college at the University of Florida, home to all of the Shand’s medical facilities. Perfect place to be if you need some medical attention! I began physical therapy there my freshman year and what a difference that made! They went to the root of the problem (well sort of, you can’t really fix a herniated disc without surgery), getting into the muscles I had been using to compensate for my back pain, and helping me build strength, teaching me to work with my injury rather than against it. My body had become very uneven in my attempts to work around the pain. A lot of the pain was in my right leg so my left leg became much stronger trying to take on much of the work. My left hip was jammed so they helped me create a little more length and “work out the kinks,” if you will.

 

I laugh now because many of the “moves” they had me doing were yoga poses! Cat/cow, spinal twists and various other hip openers and core exercises. It amazes me now how related all of this stuff is. These yoga poses are so basic, so universal. They can help us in so many ways!

 

Wow, this has become quite long already. Stay tuned…I’m getting to the yoga part soon =)

Tagged as: apples, granola, injuries, Off the Mat, wraps, yogurt