My plan was to finish a different post during her treatment session, but she asked if she could share a little about her morning with us. Absolutely!
I’m not sure what I expected from Yoga. An opportunity to be more active while going through chemo. Certainly something both Mike and I could do together (especially since I tried the cycling thing for 20 miles 15 years ago on Mother’s Day and swore never again). Perhaps I might tone up a bit. But for the mind-body thing? Difficult given what runs through my mind these days.
We decided semi-private sessions would be best to start with- given Mike and I were essentially beginners. We found a great place – Bend Yoga – in Pittsburgh on Penn Avenue. Our teacher, Lynn, introduced us to Yoga easily, calmly and with some New Jersey humor.
While I haven’t achieved Zen trances (which is what I was expecting), I feel great. My mind is focused on stretching, bending, twisting, pushing – with breathing keeping pace. When I’m following the instructions – breathing at the right time – and feeling the stretch– I can move my thoughts away from everything else.
The punch line for me? I feel strong…clean…connected. Strong mind, strong body – for me, these things lead to clear thinking and excitement about the future. New ideas, new ways of doing things. A lot to get from a new activity….healthy mind, healthy family, healthy business, healthy community. But I’m up for it. You are too.
