By Luke Watson
It took a 40th birthday snow trip to finally make me acknowledge that the way I was training was not sustainable. Staying fit & HEALTHY isn’t about punishing your body. The body is a tool that has to be respected and listened to. What is health anyway? “It keeps healthy people healthy, it inhibits the development of disease and aids recovery from ill health”, as described by I.K.S Iyengar.
Still, eight months after snowboarding in NZ, my hips were that tight, that the inflammation in my tailbone was almost crippling. I was still smashing Crossfit times and knocking over obstacle races with ease, but for the majority of the time I felt like a train wreck. I was seeing chiropractors and physiotherapists, but, I could not relieve the pain, well, in my butt! Does this sound healthy? Fit yes, but far from healthy. I was unable to recover from the illness, the debilitating pain in my hips. The biggest joint, as well as largest emotion storing area in the body.
Stretching always felt like a chore. I used yoga and other techniques during my sporting career, but only as a stretch. A 25 minute routine that would only scratch the surface of what I truly needed. Perhaps a different approach to fitness? One that incorporated more then just muscles, ligaments and tendons.
When unable to answer my wife’s question on New Year’s Day, “What would you like to achieve this year?” I knew a massive change was in order. A change of life and lifestyle, to help me age more gracefully. To relieve some of the pain in my body, that had a flow on effect to my modes and attitude. Where to start though? 3 hours of Google searches and a couple of emails later, it was decided. Yoga Teacher Training.
As part of my 200hrs for the cert 1 certificate, I have to do 45hrs of my own practice. After 6 weeks of 2 – 3 classes a week, I noticed that my tailbone hadn’t lessened in the intensity of pain it radiated, but was totally without pain. On further analysis of my body I realised that my calves were no longer like painful rocks and the freedom in my hips was unheard of. After a little skip and a couple of fist pumps I realised that this stuff is really working. Using the breath and pushing aside random chatter that the human mind is notorious for has also put me back in control of my emotional state. Lessen pain in body, check. Lessen stress, check. Get more sleep, that’s even happening now.
By the time I attended my first block of face to face yoga training, I knew I needed to teach. The change in me from doing my own practice and starting on the readings and assignments was phenomenal. The combination of physical movements with controlled breath and focus of mind can be used constantly throughout the day to make every moment as special as the next. Knowing that I could give this gift to others seems now like a crime not to. Everyone deserves a chance to be free from pain, clear of mind and live life with a song in their heart. I know yoga truly is the way to achieve this.
CLICK HERE To watch Luke’s Video to hear what he had to say before and after his Teacher Training