An Old Injury

An old injury: 

recently an old injury has flared up, worse than it's been in years, and for the first time ever I am faced with the prospect that this is something I may not be able to fix on my own, that it's beyond the powers of my yoga practice and that I might need an extended layoff from the things I love. In the past I have been able to work around injuries, always able to find something that continues my fitness passion and allows healing to take place as well. I'm wondering if those days are over, that I'm at a certain age now where the pain of working around anything is no longer an option, or even worth the effort. 

an old injury, revisited, 

has given much I need to consider.

over the last several days my yoga has turned to an ever gentler side, abandoning any posture that aggravates my injury, not extending the hold for any length of time. I'm nursing myself through this, being kind to my body, or attempting to - as old habits of mind and body are so often slow to change. With even a little relief I have a tendency to charge in, grasp that thread of comfort and pull for all I'm worth. Which of course only leaves me feeling worse again, several steps removed from where I started. I see clearly that these are my Samskaras, mental imprints that have created a destructive pattern of behavior. My old injury, presently revisiting, has arrived through my own foolishness, and yet presents an opportunity to be wise, compassionate to my body, and erase those old patterns of behavior. 

or at least lessen the sway they hold over my body and mind. 

I'll still stay active, even gentler with my yoga, changing my approach to fitness in ways that promote healing over time, having less to prove to myself and others. This isn't a lesson I would have intentionally chosen, but it's the one I have right now. My response is kindness, healing myself through pain and the loss of some mobility for now. 

it's an opportunity to heal. 

more deeply than I have before. 

~

Peace, Eric