Not That Person

Last month, my BFF Nicla and I went to Costa Rica for my 52nd birthday and there was one particularly interesting leg of the journey. 

We went on an amazing horseback ride through the rainforest and across the black sandy beach (side note: if you haven’t been to Costa Rica, go.). It was pouring rain–as it tends to do in the rainy season of a rainforest–and my horse was feeling a bit ornery. She was pregnant and hormonal, kept wanting to stop and eat, she was soaking wet, losing footing on slippery slopes, and probably not so happy about lugging my extra weight on her back.

Her solution to all this discomfort was to kick Nicla in the shin. It made a deep and nasty gash but, thankfully, did not break her bone. For the rest of the trip, Nicla had to make sure her wound was clean, properly dressed, and safe from infection.

And, ironically (or not ironically) enough, my leg started hurting very badly that night. So much so, in fact, that I did not sleep for three nights in a row, completely unable to find any comfortable position.

As a Super Empath, perhaps these were just sympathy pains. I tend to get them any time someone tells me about their physical ailments.

Or…maybe it was just my sciatic nerve. 

I hadn’t been on a horse since my 20s and more than likely, the ride jolted my nerve. 

I have never had sciatic pain before, but as a yoga instructor, I am well aware of the anatomy and physiology behind it. The constant shooting pain relentlessly running up and down my entire leg was my first sign. The fact that forward bending hurt, but backbending helped, was my second. 

(Side note: new injuries excite me just a little bit, because I get to nerd out on the anatomy, move past the theoretical and experience what others are experiencing, and play with alleviating it).

For the eight days that I was on travel, I did not practice my yoga and deep down inside I knew that if I could just get back to my mat, I could fix this issue. 

I lay in bed at night, flipping myself over and over like a fish out of water, trying to get comfortable. Doing a lot of Cobra  and Sphinx Poses, but take my word for it: it’s really hard to sleep in those positions. 

But more than anything, I meditated on the fact that “I am not someone who gets sciatica. My back is flexible and strong. I am not someone who gets pain from simply riding a horse. I am fine. I am healthy. There is nothing wrong with me.”

When, after three nights of concentrated self-healing and no sleep, it was time to jump on a plane for six hours, the prospects of feeling better looked bleak. But I knew that once I was home, there was Matty (my yoga mat) waiting for me. And that he would heal me.

Sure enough, I got home at 7am and went straight to my practice. 

I figured it would take no more than a week to get back to 100%.

I was right.

It took one minute. 

The minute I started practicing, I was 100% again. Zero pain. Good as new.

A miracle? Maybe. 

More than likely, though, it was simply because my mind is stronger than my body. And my body, for that matter, is pretty darn strong.

We are not soul and minds trapped in bodies. We are soul and minds gifted with bodies. The body is ephemeral. The soul eternal. Think about it. Which one do you think holds the magical powers?

You are what you believe you are. 

If you knew that you could do anything and be anything (including healthy!), would it be worth it to you to change your mindset and change your reality?

Because you can. And I can help. Just ask.