"5 months ago, I took sick and ended up in hospital for 4 seeks with a host of bizarre autoimmune symptoms. I lost the feeling in my legs and for a period of time, I couldn’t walk at all. I was terrified that I would never walk again"
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. ."Yoga used to be my hobby- I practiced 3 or 4 times a week with the ultimate goal being to achieve more difficult poses. Now, it’s essential for my health- it’s become a daily practice of simple poses
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Once I was out of hospital, I started to have physio 3 times a week. The physio showed me simple exercises that I could do in bed or lying on a mat. I started to extend on what she had shown me, adding in gentle yoga positions. Everyday I religiously practiced my hybrid of physio-yoga and I began to gradually feel my legs becoming stronger. I progressed to seated poses and then to standing postures
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While the strength in my body increased, I also noticed a definite shift in my mood when I practiced daily yoga. I had been feeling helpless and frustrated by how different my life had become; yet during yoga sessions, I felt a sense of calm. By adapting yoga poses, I saw how I could do things in a different way- a mindset that I could then apply to other areas of my life
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In 5 months, I can walk a little, & I have progressed from 2 minutes of exercise whilst lying down, to 25 minutes of yoga flow. Things are still difficult but I can see a way forward through yoga. Yoga acts as my physio, my chill out zone, my space to be thankful for the movements I can make, however small they may be....I have changed my focus from what I can’t do, to what I can do. Yoga is helping my body and my mind to work together towards recovery" 💚
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