The class was called Senior Gentle Yoga. Pretty soon I realized I was supposed to get down on the floor on that thin mat - oh dear, my body didn't move like that! When I started, it was hard to get up and down on the mat. I had 15 years of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain and Chronic Fatigue for starters so the workouts I had been doing previously just didn't work for me anymore. When I started yoga, even getting up and down on the mat HURT! But I had to do something!! Week by week, I progressed a little further and a little further - with the great enthusiasm of Angelica. She had a great sense of when we were totally exhausted and she would adjust the class as needed. I didn't know then, but now I realize that most classes don't do that many restoratives at the end of class, but that was what was needed and Angelica knew it!
After a while, Angelica said she thought I should try the Level I classes at the community center. Well, I thought she liked me, but there I was being introduced to things like "standing poses!" I felt like I was being twisted into a funny shape forever and surely I'd die! But I hung in there and did what I could and came back for more.
I think the key for me was starting where I was and working slowly and consistently. Since this wasn't my nature, Angelica had to teach me that this was okay! As a result, I have been free of my Fibromyalgia for several years and have moved to taking classes at Yoga Centers, where I have found more wonderful teachers that help me work from where I am to where I want to go. I have also been inspired by the gentle accepting attitude and the meditative influence - which is very healing after being in pain for years.
Before I started yoga, I could hardly move. My husband remembers when I could barely walk to the mailbox. Now I LOVE Yoga! I still do have limitations with my body but there are LOTS of things I can do and, who knows, maybe by 70 I will be able to do more. I started taking just one class a week several years ago, and over time, have worked up to six times a week. However, since I was feeling so much better, I started back to work, so now I only get to class three times a week. Maybe when I retire I can get back to six times a week!
Some comments from my bodywork doctors are: "You are more flexible than some of my 20-year-old patients!" and "Your movements are so fluid given the issues in your body."
So THANK YOU to Yoga Centers for getting me moving, helping me heal myself, and supporting me in accepting that where I am is just fine! And thank you for getting me back in the world and - truly - for saving my life!