Herniated Discs

Sara Curry

Sara Curry

I injured my back in the fall of 2001, shortly after I had started practicing yoga. I had spent my youth playing sports, and most recently rugby, running and weight lifting. A lifetime of aggressive and contact sports culminated in two herniated discs in my low back at S1/L5 and L5/L4. They caused acute low back and sciatic pain radiating down to my left knee.

I was in pain constantly, even in my sleep. The pain was so acute some days that my husband had to put my shoes on my feet. It was excruciating to go to work, to rest, to sleep, to walk, to drive. My doctor told me I had three options: live with the pain, undergo a discectomy or take cortisone shots for the rest of my life. At this point, I had begun to practice at a wonderful studio in Burlington, Vermont under Bikram Certified teachers Kelley Lyons and Amy Nietzberg. I decided see if Bikram Yoga would help first.

It was no miracle cure from the start. Classes were hard and uncomfortable. I had set backs regularly. At the time, my job only allowed me to attend 3 to 4 times a week. Some days I didn’t think I could go through the pain and challenge of a class, but I always felt better (increased range of motion, better sleep, less pain and an ability to participate in more) after attending.

Over eighteen months, I saw slow progress. The miracle happened when I started practicing two times a day. It took me 10 days of doubles to be pain free. I kid you not. PAIN FREE. I could sit without a back support. I could roll over at night. I could put my pants on standing up. I kept it up for two months, resting on Sundays. I had a few set backs in the first couple of years. Under extreme stress or after moving or shoveling snow for hours in the Vermont winter, I have had times where I get sore again. Once, I threw my back out. I have found that the quicker I get back to yoga and the more classes I can take, the faster I recover.

Now, five years out from the initial bad spell, I live a free, active life. I hike, water-ski, shovel, stand on my head. There are no yoga poses that I skip or avoid. I haven’t thrown out my back in over two years. I am nine months pregnant and have experienced no back problems at all in the entire pregnancy. I recognize that double classes are not possible for all of us. With less frequent practice, the healing (and strengthening) will simply take more time. Be patient with yourself and your students. Be strong and work hard. All you need is your body and this yoga to heal yourself.

Credit: This is written by Sara Curry. Prior to attending the Bikram Yoga teacher training in Spring 2003, Sara worked for years in Special Education with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. She holds a degree in Plant and Soil Science from the University of Vermont. This story has been reposted with permission. You can find the original here.

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You Are Special

You Are Special

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, “Who would like this $20 bill?”

Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up.

He then asked, “Who still wants it?”

Still the hands were up in the air. “Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty.

“Now who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air.

“My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20.”

Just as the $20 bill has a value and identity that is not determined by what happens to its exterior self, we too have an unseen interior Self. This Self is different from our exterior ego-self. And just as nothing that happens to the exterior self of the $20 bill affects its intrinsic value, we too at our very basic level are not impacted by things that happen to our ego-self.

Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!

Related: Who Am I?

Credit: This has been adapted from a story we found here.

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Unintended Consequences

Uninteded Consequences

A dedicated union leader was attending a convention in Las Vegas and decided to check out the local brothels.

When he got to the first one, he asked the Madam, “Is this a union house?”

“No,” she replied, “I’m sorry it isn’t.”

“Well, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?”

“The house gets $80 and the girls get $20,” she answered.

Offended at such unfair dealings, the union man stomped off down the street in search of a more equitable, hopefully unionized shop.

His search continued until finally he reached a brothel where the Madam responded, “Why yes sir, this is a union house. We observe all union rules.”

The man asked, “And, if I pay you $100, what cut do the girls get?”

“The girls get $80 and the house gets $20.”

“That’s more like it!” the union man said.

He handed the Madam $100, looked around the room, and pointed to a stunningly attractive green-eyed blonde.

“I’d like her,” he said.

“I’m sure you would, sir,” said the Madam. Then she gestured to a 92-year old woman in the corner, “but Ethel here has 67 years seniority and according to union rules, she’s next.”

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Credit: Source unknown. This came to us via e-mail.

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Would You Treat Them Differently?

Sometimes we take things the wrong way because we are too engrossed in seeing things from our own point of view. We forget that other people are fighting their own battles. This beautiful video gives a quick insight into what others maybe going through and asks a simple question: If we could see inside others’ hearts would you treat them differently? Watch and decide.

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The Story Of A Fence

The Story Of A Fence

There once was a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy’s father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into their wooden fence.

On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really mad!

Over the course of the next few weeks, the little boy began to control his temper, so the number of nails that were hammered into the fence dramatically decreased.

It wasn’t long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

Then, the day finally came when the little boy didn’t lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn’t wait to tell his father.

Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper.

Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

Very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.

“You have done very well, my son,” he smiled, “but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same.”

The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak.

“When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you’re sorry, the wounds will still be there.”

Credit: We found this story on Facebook here.

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