Peaceful Warrior

Peaceful warrior is my favorite yoga pose.  I like the idea of being a warrior, in combat, always ready and willing to slay my ankylosing spondylitis.  But, it’s the peaceful part of this term that speaks to me more.  It’s the idea of being strong in battle with a peacefulness or serenity during the battle.  Gaia.com interprets peaceful warrior or reverse warrior as “showing up with love and intention in day-to-day life…When practicing reverse warrior, ask yourself to consider definitions or beliefs in your life from another perspective. There are two sides to each coin, and the better you know both sides, the better prepared you will be to live your life with steadiness, grace, and ease.” (https://www.gaia.com/article/viparita-virabhadrasana-reverse-warrior-pose)  That’s how I want to live my life with “steadiness, grace, and ease.”

I started practicing yoga about 3 years ago.  I had two doctors suggest I try it to help with spondylitis.  I signed up for Gentle Yoga at my local YMCA.  The first day of yoga class was discouraging to me.  Through all the sitting and standing moves, I was stiff, in pain, and had zero flexibility.  I also had a hard time with balance.  I really wanted to cry after my first class.  My yoga teacher asked me how I liked my first class and I mentioned to her my difficulties.  She immediately gave me tips to modify my yoga practice.  I used those tips at the next class and I didn’t feel quite so clunky.  That’s how I got hooked into yoga.  I can use supports such as a bolster, yoga strap and yoga block to help me feel successful in my yoga practice.  As the week’s progressed, I noticed a slight improvement in my flexibility and balance.  Eventually, I didn’t need to hold on to a chair for some of the balance positions. 

What I love most about yoga is that it’s an individual practice.  Other students in my class can do more positions than I can.  And, my practice can differ from class to class.  Some days my balance is great and other days, I need the support of yoga block or standing near a wall to support me.  But, that’s okay.  It’s adapting and adjusting to my body’s unique needs and still being beneficial to my overall health.

Practicing yoga makes me feel successful.  That’s a big statement coming from someone who has a chronic illness.  With ongoing pain and stiffness, it’s hard to find an activity that I can feel successful in.  Yoga is a practice of the mind, body, and spirit.  Therein lies my success.  Here’s how it helps me:

Mind:  There are so many thoughts and ideas going through my head, especially during the final relaxation portion of my yoga class.  But, my teacher says these thoughts are okay, just don’t hold on to them.  So, I try to let go of the thoughts that go through my head and focus on the peace.  I remind myself this time is for me and I shouldn’t waste it thinking of other things.  There is a lovely peacefulness that I feel when I let go of ideas and just be.  It’s not always easy to achieve but when I do, it feels great.  This mindfulness comes into practice especially when I have a day that I am in more pain than usual.  I have learned through the years to stop the activities I’m doing, and to just rest.  When I do this, I feel better.  When I attempt to push through the pain, stiffness, and fatigue, I end up worse off.  I have learned to physically rest and quiet my mind when I don’t feel well.

Body:  Yoga has helped so much with my balance.  I was having some falls that were alarming to me being I was in my early 50’s.  Over the years since practicing yoga, I have felt stronger in my balance and haven’t had any trips or falls in recent years.  In certain yoga positions, my yoga teacher reminds the class that a certain position results in stretching and strengthening the spine to create space within the disks.  Anytime she says this, I envision my spinal column creating space.  With my condition, the sacrum and hips can become very stiff.  I know through my yoga practice, I’m doing everything I can to keep these joints moving.

Spirit:  I’m not talking about religion here.  I think this portion of the mind/body/spirit connection may mean different things to different people.  For me, “spirit” defines who I am.  It’s the spark, personality, and joyfulness I feel inside of me. It’s the mother in me who’ll always be a mom, the teacher in me who comes up with new ideas, it’s the prayerful person who seeks being closer to God, and the peaceful warrior managing ankylosing spondylitis and all parts of her life with “steadiness, grace, and ease.”  Namaste.