First of all, let me apologize for the lack of posts here lately. Quite frankly, I’ve been a bit burned out. It happens to the best of us, no matter how well we try to navigate this journey called (The Soulicious) Life. I think mine stemmed in part from SoulDaddy being on the road and in the air quite a bit over the past few weeks which translated into lots of single momma time for me.

But I’m also burned out on PT (gee – after only 4 months!) and juggling a myriad of bids and contractors for a variety of large landscape projects, including a new fence, sprinkler re-design, and patio. Oh, and I still have that day job thing too.

So, finally, finally, finally, I made it back to yoga class this week, and got much more than I expected.

Sure, I’ve been doing sun salutations and a small variety of asanas daily, but I had yet to step into a full class post-surgery. When I set the intention for my first class back it was simple: to move through the poses without judgement, determining what was tight, where I was holding stress and how things felt different from before surgery, all while, of course, honoring my new hip.

I’m happy to say that though I am a bit sore today, I got through my first strenuous practice without pain. Better yet, lying in savasana after class, feeling my body sink into the mat and the energy disperse among my limbs, tears began to flow.

My first class back on the mat provided me with something more powerful than I intended, a much-needed emotional release.

In my many years of yoga practice, I’ve come to understand the deep connection between our bodies, our minds, and our souls. Of course, emotions fall somewhere in there, though I’m not sure they fit squarely into any of those boxes, but perhaps drape themselves over all three.

Especially now that I’m up and walking around pretty well, it’s easy to forget that surgically reshaping my acetabulum and femoral head, anchoring my torn labrum, and performing a small microfracture of the bone are indeed physically stressful. Combine that with the mental and physical challenge that recovery requires, and any surgery and recovery can quickly overload a person who is also trying to well, live life. It’s only natural to hold that stress internally.

This is when it started, but wow, I’ve come a long way in almost 4 months!

When we hold on to stress without a proper outlet, it manifests itself in our physical body. Release those muscles and you release the stress, sometimes in the form of emotion.

And so I cried, and it was a huge relief.

The consistency of a yoga practice tends to wax and wane for many of us for a variety of reasons, and that’s ok. What’s important, is that we come back and do so not only with good intention, but with the knowledge that whatever we are holding inside can indeed be released through physical manipulation.

Whether you are recovering from surgery or recovering from life, I encourage you to find or re-discover a yoga practice. It is always so blissfull to return to my mat.

Just remember that it’s ok to cry. In fact, doing so is an illustration of the ability to let go of the negative, absorb the positive, and feel the resulting emotional release. It is a yoga blessing.

Have you ever experience an emotional release through yoga?

I shared this post on Simple Lives Thursday, Your Green Resource, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul, The Gathering Spot, Frugal Days Sustainable Ways, Health 2day, Green Giveaways and Articles and Whole Food Wednesday.