{"id":1345,"date":"2014-01-20T14:39:09","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T14:39:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/?p=1345"},"modified":"2021-05-08T14:21:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T14:21:39","slug":"hurts-so-good-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/hurts-so-good-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurts So Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"lunge<\/a>Somehow the refrain from John Cougar Mellencamp\u2019s classic rock song kept playing in my mind as I lay fully unfurled on my back recovering from some so-called light<\/i> stretch.<\/p>\n

Hurts so good. Hmmm.<\/i><\/p>\n

The first week of January saw me shoveling unspeakably high piles of snow from my alley into my backyard before the predicted deep freeze. (Where else could I offload the white stuff if I had any hope of getting my car out of the garage?)<\/p>\n

For days, I was feeling pretty good about not being doubled over from the effort.\u00a0 I thought I must be pretty resilient — until my first yoga class.\u00a0 A wonderful yoga studio in my neighborhood had an introductory special; unlimited classes for new students for $50 for their first month.<\/p>\n

I took regular hatha yoga classes several years ago.\u00a0 I was never comfortable with routines that turned me upside down or with executing balance poses (please don\u2019t ask me to close my eyes for anything except kissing), but I was pretty comfortable with downward dog, cow and cat stretches and most of the common poses.<\/p>\n

Still, some intuitive and protective impulse must have come over me when I selected the best class level for me as GENTLE.<\/p>\n

As I was saying, I didn\u2019t think the shoveling had affected me until I really stretched out my arms and legs, my fingers and toes. It seemed every part of my body hurt. Not unbearably, but I was aware of a general discomfort throughout my body.<\/p>\n

During my first class, the instructor\u2019s voice was soothing. It faded in and out of my awareness as I closed then opened my eyes. I placed, then removed, blocks and bolsters and blankets to make accommodations for my body\u2019s resistance to different positions.<\/p>\n

While trying to visualize my belly button seeking out my spine or imagine that my undisciplined muscles could somehow hug the bones they surrounded with a feeling akin to affection, the instructor would walk by my mat and give me gentle nudges until I achieved the intended alignment.\u00a0 Once, while my stomach coated the ground and my back was arched and I tried to grab my left ankle with my left hand, she looped the end of a cotton strap around my ankle and placed the ends in my hand so I could feel what the stretch would have felt like IF I was able to grip my ankle with my hand directly (No way).<\/p>\n

By the time my first class finished with shavasana<\/i> (corpse pose), my neck and shoulders and hips hurt. I think I hurt all over. Certainly I was slightly sore in parts of my body that I had forgotten about.<\/p>\n

And I was smiling. I was so happy.\u00a0 I felt so grateful.<\/p>\n

Of course, I was proud of myself -\u2013 that after recognizing the benefits of yoga, I actually showed up for a class. I actually brought my own mat and made efforts to introduce myself to the instructor and make small talk with other students. I bookmarked the studio\u2019s schedule page on my computer. I was committed to show up again.<\/p>\n

But I was happy for every body ache I was aware of. It\u2019s easy for me, under stress, to stop breathing. Sometimes, I don\u2019t allow myself to breathe until I have figured out my next comment or action. But when something in my body hurts, my attention is immediately drawn to the hurt or discomfort. I find myself in the present moment. I find myself slowing down\u2026and I\u2019ll breathe\u2026consciously…and the hurt will go away.<\/p>\n

It hurts so good<\/i> when I realize I need<\/i><\/b> to stretch myself and know I CAN go beyond my past limitations.\u00a0 Even when my body says, \u201cWhoa, you can\u2019t go there,\u201d I can remind myself that I can go further than I thought. When arranging my limbs or torso in a new way and I feel a little uncomfortable, I can use it as a signal that I have found a limit -\u2013 for now. <\/i><\/b>\u00a0I can recognize the discomfort as a signal that I have more work to do and that I can work up to a place of increased openness and flexibility where the position can be held without any twinges or tightness.<\/p>\n

When you can experience comfort within<\/i><\/b> a hurt and are reminded that you\u2019re stretching your limits of what\u2019s possible, it\u2019s no small thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Somehow the refrain from John Cougar Mellencamp\u2019s classic rock song kept playing in my mind…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","grateful-dozen-self-appreciation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHurts So Good – No Small Thing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/hurts-so-good-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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