As much as I love my yoga - and I really love my yoga - nothing centers, soothes, and balances me better than sitting silently in meditation. If I am frustrated, anxious, fatigued, sad, or experiencing any other number of annoying or overwhelming emotions, meditation brings me out of my funk and helps me look at my life through a clearer lens. It clears my brain, lightens my mood, and prepares me to be an active participant in my life again. So you think I may be exaggerating just a little? You have tried meditation and it is just not for you. You can't quiet your mind long enough to feel … [Read more...]
With Love
My heart is joyfully heavy with the love I feel for everyone I have connected with through FibroHaven. From my local support group, to our online facebook community, and to those who I interact with privately - each of you are a true gift in my life. Thank you all for helping me make FibroHaven a place of hope and support. Thank you for inspiring me this past year, and for motivating me to make next year even better. You give me strength! Wishing lots of comfort, joy, and love to each of you this holiday season. Your light shines brightly. I know, because it is what guides me. … [Read more...]
Pain is Part of the Process
Today is a day of recovery for me. Most people do not attend a restful and healthful three day yoga retreat and then come home to recover, but such is the nature of life with chronic illness. Yet I will welcome this time of recovery over and over again if it means I can continue on this path to wellness. I have learned many things so far on my path, and the one lesson that appears repeatedly is that this is a process. Healing takes time, and although I am caring for myself better than I ever have, there is still an unpredictable nature to fibromyalgia I cannot avoid. Setbacks, sidesteps, and … [Read more...]
Things I Love #10: Writing
It has been too long since my last Things I Love post, which is ironic considering I am in the midst of one of the most loving times of my life and this is my place to write about all things I love. The time I am spending focusing on my health is restoring me, but I have missed writing here. I am determined to find a balance and get back to one of the things that has always centered and nourished me - writing. Writing is a passion I can always remember having. When I was a young girl we lived in a very old house. My bedroom walls were covered with many layers of wallpaper. On a particular … [Read more...]
My Journey in Healing: The Efforts and the Rewards
It has been nearly two months since I started my yoga teacher training program and I have learned so much. The Benefits: Yoga heals. A recent study on yoga for fibromyalgia conducted at Oregon Health & Science University confirms what I have been experiencing since beginning my yoga practice 18 months ago - "yoga appears to assist in combating a number of serious fibromyalgia symptoms, including pain, fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, depression, poor memory, anxiety and poor balance. All of these improvements were shown to be not only statistically but also clinically significant, meaning … [Read more...]