I had a setback this past month. My health practitioner suggested I take a supplement (MSM) that is known for its intestinal healing effects. Within two days, my digestive system was feeling stressed. I continued on for a few more days but it got worse, tension was building. I have still not fully recovered but the healing cycle turned the corner over the weekend. My discomfort and despair are dissipating as I look for the deeper purpose of this mini crisis.
At first this really did feel like a setback. But time and experience has taught me that events like this are actually signs to Step Back; to pause, breathe, and observe rather than getting all tied up in knots about how nothing goes right, why is this happening to me. And you probably know a few more to add to the rant.
What a perfect time to step onto my yoga mat. Practice my breathing, practice calming my mind, nurture my body one pose at a time. If you do practice yoga, you know that after a practice, when you lie in Savasana, your body just goes ahhhh. It’s like the relief you feel when you take off very high heels and your toes go ahhhh, you unlock tension. But this particular time, when my intention was on answering the question “set back or step back”, the relief was inside my mind. All of a sudden I felt space for new perspectives. I needed to Step Back in order to create this space or my mind would have continued in the never-ending loop of why not, why me, keeping me stuck and attached to the Set Back.
The magic of a Yoga Practice is that it works on many different levels. It covers breathing, relaxing, focusing, and strengthening. And the beauty is you don’t need to know which one to focus on. For example: when dealing with my supplement reaction, I could have asked myself “what poses do I need to do today for my stressed digestive system” or “for my emotional frustration”; or “for my mental chatter suggesting I will never get better”.
Yoga makes it simple. Just get on the mat and do your practice. You might stay a little longer in some poses because you can feel your body asking for more. When dealing with my MSM reaction, I found my body begging for more time in Child’s Pose. When I moved into forward bend, I found I needed to give the pose more breath than usual. Every pose unlocks tension and opens up energy leaving you with ease of movement, space and a sense of calm to carry on.
A few days later I was referred to a very special health professional who uncovered a deep rooted virus that has been undermining my health, probably for many years. I knew it….there is always a gift! My bad reaction to MSM (sulfur) lead me to discover not only the cause, but now I would also be able tofind the solution to take my health to a whole new level.
There are no Setbacks. Take a moment to Step back, do your practice and see what reveals itself – it’s like magic!
