reconnecting mind, body, spirit

It took a lot of nerve to drag myself there during all of this coronavirus mess. It took more convincing than just reminding myself that they are open at the allowance of the Governor, and they are a medical facility.

a bit of an adjustment

My husband started going to the chiropractor last week. He’s had four adjustments already. His first was last Wednesday. He’d injured his back (twisted wrong) on Sunday then stayed home from work on Monday and Tuesday.

homeopathic options

When he woke up on Wednesday still in pain, he knew two things. The first was that he needed to see somebody for some pain relief. The other was that he didn’t want pain medicine or a cortisone shot, which is what our GP would likely have done. We always prefer a more natural treatment over chemicals, and the cortisone shot always leaves him feeling sick.

father knows best

His father has been seeing his chiropractor for a while now. He always happily announces “I’ve been to the chiropractor today” when you happen to catch him after a chiropractic appointment. He’s not likely to tell you if he’s been to the GP or his cardiologist. We figured this was akin to a 5 star review for a private man such as he.

snap, crackle, pop

Wednesday, hubby got his first adjustment. He returned to work with only a recommendation to take it as easy as he can. He was back to the chiropractor on Friday to set up his treatment plan and get a second adjustment. They had him back in there on Monday. That’s when he made my appointment to join him today.

brings us to today

Mask secured over mouth and nose, I entered this tiny office. The waiting room was empty. Two ladies and a gentleman were all behind the counter. They greeted my husband like he was an old friend. I would learn that the gentleman was the doctor.

how well do you really know yourself?

Filling out the paperwork was a real treat. After having just written my DOB, and knowing full well just how old I am, I attempted to declare myself 20 years old. No, I do not want to be twenty again. Then, instead of writing my daughter’s name under children, I wrote my own. Seriously? I’m twenty years old and my own daughter? To be fair, the doctor showed me that the receptionist had written Jiffany instead of Tiffany on my file, so maybe it was just one of those days.

did you hear that?

Hubby got his adjustment while I was filling out my paperwork. Other than the table, I didn’t hear a sound. After x-rays were done, it was my turn on the table. The loud crunching that my neck made had the doctor saying “music to my ears.” The cracks and pops that came when he adjusted the middle of my spine had my husband’s ears taking notice. He said it was loud. They all sounded very loud to me. I’m scheduled to return on Friday.

just stretching it out

Even before the chiropractor I’d been attempting to reset my body and mind through yoga. Yoga is one of those things I pick up and put down again. Been doing it for years.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy it. Quite the contrary, really. When I stick with it, I feel great. I just tend to get distracted and forget to get around to it. I’m absent-minded and offer no excuse for it.

my top ten yoga poses

I haven’t found my perfect sequence, yet. I’m always researching and finding new poses [asana] to add. I also end up skipping some poses, or remove them without even missing them. Here are ten of my favorites (in no particular order).

Corpse pose [savasana] with bent leg variation

This one is great for stretching out and opening up. Corpse pose itself is almost relaxing and perfect for finding and connecting to my center. Bending my legs, feet hip width apart, I allow my knees to fall into each other. [ladies, this pose is great for keigals]

Knees to Chest pose [apanasana]

With just a little hug you can put yourself back together. While lying on your back (savasana, I suppose) bring your knees to your chest, lace your fingers across your shins, and hug your legs to your chest. It’s a wonderful lower back stretch.

Cat-Cow poses [bitilasana-marjaryasana]

Okay, technically it’s two poses, but if you aren’t doing them together you should really give it a try. They stretch and open up the back and chest and bring them together in relaxing unison.

Camel pose [ustrasana]

If you’re looking to open up your back and chest, you should really consider giving camel pose a try. It stretches you in ways you didn’t even know you needed to stretch.

Cow Face pose [gomukhasana]

This is one of my favorites. I like the way this one opens up and stretches my hips. It’s a fun asana. Almost like being twisted into a pretzel.

Warrior II [Virabhadrasana II]

This one just opens me up. It starts at the center of me and flows outward, releasing pent up energy and leaving me more relaxed.

Wide Legged Forward Fold [Prasarita Padottanasana]

A newly discovered asana. If you had told me that this big girl would be touching the ground with both hands and feet without bending my knees, I would have laughed so hard I cried. I was absolutely convinced that I was never going to touch the ground again. (admittedly, I still can’t bend over and touch my toes).

That being said, I think this pose’s best contribution has been to my self esteem. However, it is also a great stretch that elongates my back and opens up my hips.

Wide-Legged Squat [prasarita malasana]

Malasana, the yoga squat, is an old friend of mine. I strike this pose whenever I’m doing anything low to the ground from greeting a toddler to cleaning the litter pan. Previous to learning how to squat like a yogi I would fall over whenever I dropped too low.

The thing I love about the wide-legged variation is the counter pressure provided by placing your elbows to your inner thighs while in anjali mudra. The counter pressure provides a unique stretched feeling.

Tree pose [vrksasana] featuring mountain pose [tadasana]

Beginning in tadasana and moving into vrksasana is both grounding and liberating at the same time. Planting your feet (aka your roots) and then stretching your hands (aka your leaves) to the sky allow all the negative energies and tensions to just slip from your fingertips.

Reclining Cross-Legged Position [supta sukhasana]

My all time favorite. I’ve used this stretch for as long as I can remember. As a little girl when I didn’t even know there was such a thing as yoga. I just always loved the way it opened up my hips. I find myself taking this pose as I stretch out across my bed or on the floor, even when I’m not doing yoga.

tuning in and tuning up

It’s important to be in tune with your body. To check in regularly. Sometimes when you check in and feel out of whack, you find you need a tune up. I’ve been using yoga for mindfulness. Or maybe yoga has led to my mindfulness. However that all works (I promise not to pretend to be an expert).

Today, just hours after visiting the chiropractor, I spent about 45 minutes doing my yoga. When I was finished I felt energized, but my legs were wobbly and felt rather akin to jelly. Now, these many hours after that, I’m feeling a bit stiff and sore.

I’m hoping that the combination of stretching and chiropractic adjustments will help me find myself more in tune with myself mind, body, and spirit. Of course, I’ll have to truly stick with it to see any long-term results.

Do you have any favorite yoga poses or a favorite yoga regimen? Share it in the comments below (or drop a link to your own post).