Yoga is for everyone...
In 2010 my life came to a halt at just 25 years... I had been the gymnast, the athlete, always active limber and high spirited. In college I had continued intramural sports. Post college I joined the gym and took the group classes to stay fit. I never thought of it as work. I found joy in exercise and liked to try new things.
Then waiting at a stop light I felt my spine move one vertebrae at a time as though in slow motion. I had been rear ended by a teenager texting & driving in a large SUV going full speed. Being young, looking back probably in shock I did not realize the impact of the collision. I thought I could "bounce back". That is what gymnastics taught me, fall & get right back up again.
That evening my spine froze - I literally could not straighten it to stand to walk. For months I rolled off the couch to catch myself and attempt the painful transition to stand. Slowly I was nursed back to health, but not without immense pain. Then the neurologist sent me to the courage center!
A heated therapy pool and I was finally able to move again. My progress could be seen daily. The buoyancy of the water allowed for weightless movement. The heat allowed my muscles to relax and my body to move. I remember my first lap! The kind ladies in the locker room who couldn't believe a "body" like mine needed therapy! The blessed staffs encouraging words.
I learned that for the rest of my life I would have a condition. But that condition would not define my motion as long as I kept my core strong to protect the spine.
Then I became pregnant! Exciting yes! However there was one thing nobody addressed... How was I going to protect my spine when my core relaxed to allow for my belly to grow? As any mom knows there becomes a point in pregnancy when you stop pulling your stomach in and allow for the natural progression of growth. It is inevitable and knowing it is not fat or unhealthy makes it bearable.
Skip forward post pregnancy 5 months and I found myself in a Yoga class. My back was causing me pain and I was big! Yes 5 months after child birth I was still larger and unable to preform most tasks. The yoga mat was a safe place to start! I had practiced yoga before and knew that it was a personal practice where others wouldn't judge. Something that night clicked and as I found myself back in the realm of fitness. I heard the instructor announce Yoga Teacher Training was beginning that week!
My heart felt the pull and I was in class by Thursday with 9 other lovelies. Yoga teacher training was much more than how I lost my "baby weight". I remember saying at one point "I think I found my light again". Because what I didn't tell you was that on top of the back pain as a residual of loosing core strength during pregnancy, I was going through something more. You see my daughter died on her due date. In addition to the physical I was coping with the mental struggles of child loss. Yoga gave me core strength, taught me to breath, and gave me back my life.
I will always have a back condition, but that condition will not define my range of motion. I will always be Teigan's mom but bereavement will not define my happiness in life. Yoga reminds us that we are not defined by our circumstances but rather by our reactions.
-Molly Rosenak
Certified Yoga Instructor
Doga instructor
PUCCI Pet Career Studios
Anoka MN