Twisting and Changing, Signs of Life

Ardha Matsyeandrasana: Seated Twist. A Yoga Pose for Embracing the Change

As I “embrace the change” in many parts of my life, I’ve made the most dramatic changes to my personal yoga practice. Arguably this dramatic change was forced upon me because of an injury. Yet, I can’t say that the change hasn’t been somewhat welcome since I do feel the injury was my own body’s way of flashing the good old yield sign.

My own reaction the first few months of my injury was like many others when faced with a debilitating challenge: frustration and fear. As each month forced me to reexamine all that had felt so important previously, I saw how my emphasis on the achievement of each asana was my own ego yanking the wheels of the bus out of my hands.  

This seated twist, while it is a challenging pose, is perfect for this moment of my own practice of embracing the change that my own body is demanding of me. While this picture shows me in the fuller expression of the pose, I know now that I can still feel the benefits to my spine, my internal organs of this same pose with the modifications that may be necessitated by my own injury.

Will I feel this sanguine about where my practice is in a few months as I resume a more steady, daily practice? Or, will my own ego take over the wheels of the bus yet again, perhaps driving me back into that old ditch of injury and recovery? In all honesty, I can’t say whether my new embrace of the change will stick where my own practice is concerned.

Yet, I am reassured that I will be able to listen to my own body if it flashes the yield sign in the future and not let my ego blow through it, likely not taking me to the promised land.