Yoga after 4 months
Date: 2022-06-22
First things first: no I am not dead! My last post was 3 months ago, and it's probably the longest break I took on this blog. I am sorry for not writing any updates, even though I could have said a few words. I wasn't ill or anything serious. In fact some good things happened to me, which I will write about at a later date.
I wrote in February, that I've started learning yoga. After a brief injury brake, which was totally my fault, I continued my learning and practice on the 20th. Ever since I haven't missed a day, so on June 20th I had my 4th month anniversary.
I will say this, but doing yoga regularly is a lifechanging experience for me. This is an understatement. I was never a mobile guy, and not just because I was short and chubby. People laughed at me sometimes when we had PE class, the usual things. By the time I was in my teenage years, computers conquered my life, and welcome sitting lifestyle! So comforting, but also so dumb.
Find your movement type
Here is the truth about exercise and moving: people always thinking about doing it in gyms. That's it's like a requirement or something. But the truth is, the most important thing is to find the movement form that fits YOU. And only you can find it! Swimming, riding a bike, walking, running, yoga, etc (you can also find team stuff, but you need teammates for that).
For many years I thought that walking is my movement type. It fits me, since I can't really run, but I can walk some long distance if I need to. When I had cancer I was also very weak, sometimes I had to think about twice to go to the toilet. Going up stairs? No, thank you! So later, when I become stronger, walking become the movement type that I loved to do. It give me so much joy, that I could do something, that I struggled with for many months.
While I still do walk (sometimes twice a day), yoga took over the no. 1. spot, and one the reason is mobility. When I was walking around the block, I saw many times older people with canes, bad backs, and other problems. Since I am sitting a lot, I had to do something. I felt I need to challenge myself too, to get outside of my comfort zone, and change my life or die trying (is this the famous phrase?).
Yoga 4 months later
Four months later I feel that I am much more flexible. I am still in working progress, but I think it's a neverending road. Originally I gave myself one whole year to see, where I will end up to. Even with the first 4 months I produced some incredible results.
Standing and walk
First of all it changed how I stand and how I walk. I feel much more elevated, more straight without effort, unlike before. I swear that I feel I am taller with one or two centimeters, which is fantastic. For a short guy to feel taller, that's such a confidence boost.
Arm and shoulder pain
Second is that my right arm/shoulder pain is almost gone. Especially bring it over my head - I think the medical term is ab-duction. I battled with this for almost 6 years now, I had pain on and off, but this is the first time when I am 90% pain free. In fact when I don't feel the pain that's when I realize: how great this is! Even during yoga I felt this. When I started, pushing up myself from the ground, just do a little bit of plank was trouble for my arm, but now I am doing it with big smile.
Stronger body
Third: In overall I become much stronger. Yoga is good not just for flexibility, but good bodyweight training. Lots of movement requires arm, core and leg strenght to do it properly on any level. What's good about yoga, that many movement has replacements, so if you can't do something fully, you can change the angle of bodyparts and gradually get stronger until you can do it that movement fully.
Thanks to becoming stronger I also picked up my weights again. Yes, I have a little gym at home. In the corner of my 4x2m room.
My long term aim is to be able to do pullups, which I haven't done for decades. The first part (fixing my arm) is mostly complete, and I am hopeful that maybe by the end of the year I can do one.
Stronger mind
Four: my mental health improved. Yoga slowed me down, how I live and think. I think about how I respond in certain situation, how I speak, when do I speak. I am less of a reacting person now.
Sometimes it's hard to show up to the mat, but once I am on it, the whole world changes around me. I felt many times that the focus on movement slowed down the time, and a yoga session which should last 40 minutes, felt like 20.
Still long way to go…
As I said, it's a work in progress, but I don't think I will stop it anytime soon. I am very patient with myself. If I can't do something for the first time, then I take note and will see if how it goes later. So far I am very happy that I can do things I though I will never be able to do.
I will write about my progress, maybe every 3 months.
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This is post #16 of the #100DaysToOffload challenge, where we write 100 posts in a year. If you are interested in this event, check out the official website: 100DaysToOffload.com. Happy writing everybody! :)