I can’t remember how it felt like to learn how to walk, but I would think that trying to do handstands, forearm stands and other arm balances on my palms and falling over consistently would be a good gauge of how hard it must have been. Yoga is helping me relearn a lot of things about my body. I realised that I have a weak or collapsed arch, which might have been caused by wearing sneakers pretty much daily, and that I have a slight hunch and slouch in my walk, because I remember growing up not liking my chest/boobs and often elevated and rounded my shoulders to “hide” it. Things that I don’t usually take note of like how I stand, sit and even sleep, have become important to me, as I find that these little things really affect how I can or cannot get into certain poses due to poor postures and tight joints. It feels weird to examine and learn about a body that I have had for a good 25 years, but still not know, or subconsciously taken for granted all these while.
Learning about mine also made me more aware of others’. Seeing how my grandparents and parents have poor postures and resulting aches have shown the importance of building good practices. At the same time, it has been a joy pointing these out and helping my family build better practices together.
It’ll be a journey (re)learning about my body, but I’m looking forward to getting to know her a lot better and treat her right this time.
Rachel
Feb’20 Weekend YTT
