"Ouch! That looked like it hurt!" said my cousin, Julia, from behind me after a tumble I took on the slick terrain while skiing in Vermont last weekend.
"Yeah, it probably could have!" I replied.
You see my foot and knee twisted around where my skis were pigeon toed and crossed the wrong way tangled up in each other. I reorganized myself, got back up, and continued having an amazing day. A bruise on my calf as a battle wound lingered but that was it, thanks be to God.
In that moment, I thought "Thank God I can manipulate my body well where little twists and turns don't create havoc because I have trained myself to move in ways most don't through my yoga practice." The quote, "If you can bend it, you won't break it" came to mind as well.
It reminded of me why I say:
It's not about what you can do on your mat, it's how you feel in your skin that matters.
Sure, a handstand and fancy arm balance can be fun to do and students can feel accomplished after successfully demonstrating these more advanced moves, but it doesn't matter if you can ever do them. What matters is when life gives you obstacles and sometimes physical tumbles, you can bounce back and have limited recovery/damage because you have trained yourself to move mentally and physically in a healing and sustainable way. Of course, protective prayers and faithful living contribute massively to these harmonious experiences, but we can revisit that topic in another article.
So, what habits are you embarking on regularly to foster fluid movement and mental health for yourself?
Yoga and prayer continue to work for me and I feel beyond blessed to share these tools with those around me who are receptive.