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Scrolling through yoga photos on Instagram can give us a distorted view of what our practice should look like. But the truth is: we don’t need to be able to do handstands in exotic locations in order to have a meaningful yoga experience. We don’t even need to be able to travel to a yoga studio! • I know that limited mobility can be a huge obstacle for some of us with chronic pain and illness. Some of us may even struggle to get down to a yoga mat, and this is why I’m so passionate about creating accessible online yoga classes. When I was at my worst with my chronic illness symptoms, I was virtually bed-bound. I felt so defeated, discouraged and trapped in my own body. • Last fall, I experienced another period of being unable to get out of bed due to POTS. But this time, instead of spiraling into self-blame and feelings of inadequacy, I was able to meet my body exactly where it was in the moment without judgment. • During that time, I adapted my yoga practice so that I could do the poses, meditation and breathwork in bed. This allowed me to experience the same benefits of a floor-based practice: mindfulness, gentle stretch, strength-building, relaxation and pain-relief. Several months later, I am back on my mat and working on forearm stand! The willingness to meet ourselves exactly where we are in the present moment can have a powerful impact. • My journey has had so many ups and downs, and I’m sure there will be more to come! All this has taught me to stay present with myself. This unconditional presence is what does the healing. • So if you’re bed-bound right now, I want you to know that you’re not alone. If you’re curious to see how bed yoga can help you, head over to my YouTube channel for a free supine bed yoga class. The link is in my bio ✨
I used to resent my body so much for not being able to do everything I wanted to do, and this resentment usually followed me onto my yoga mat. When I compared my current practice with the practice I had had a few years prior, the stark contrast made me feel defeated. Poses that had once felt so blissful were now far out of my reach, and a lot of days, I was only capable of doing supta baddha konasana in bed 😔 It didn’t feel like enough. I didn’t feel like I was enough. • But I kept practicing. Because it was the only thing that made my chronic pain feel better. Those quiet moments of breathing into the spaces of my body that were tired and painful, they taught me to be unconditionally present with myself. They taught me that the pain was just my body crying out for my attention and love. It allowed me to develop a sort of self-compassion for myself and my body. It’s okay if I only do one yoga pose. It’s okay if I don’t do any at all. • Years later, I’m more accepting of my body day to day. I know that every time I get on my mat will be a unique experience, independent of the experiences I’ve had before. Just because I could do something before doesn’t mean I should be able to do it today. It doesn’t mean that the body I have today is somehow less than the body I had before. Whatever I am capable of doing is worth doing. I am worthy of my yoga practice even if I can’t stand on my head anymore. I am worthy of unconditional presence. • And this same idea applies to my life off the mat. I choose to celebrate the things I can do rather than focusing on the things I can’t. The past few weeks, I’ve been feeling more energized and active both on and off the mat. The state of my health will always fluctuate, but my worthiness, that will always be a constant ❤️
Today is the last day of Ehlers-Danlos Awareness Month 💜 • If it weren’t for the EDS awareness month posts I saw on social media last year, I never would have heard of this disease, and I never would have figured out that I have it! Because of this, I had the courage to talk to my doctor about EDS and I am now waiting for my consultation with a geneticist to confirm the diagnosis and find out what type of EDS I have. Even one voice can make such a monumental difference in someone’s life. This is why I always encourage other chronic warriors to share their stories 💜 • In honor of EDS Awareness Month, I created a yoga guide for hypermobility, which you can download for free at the link in my bio 👆🏼 • Here’s what’s inside: ✅ The benefits of yoga for hypermobility ✅ How to make your yoga practice safe for your unique body ✅ What not to do ✅ How to use props ✅ Free yoga practices and resources • For more information about EDS, please visit @ehlers.danlos
Sookie and I just finished filming the restorative practice for my upcoming bed yoga retreat! 😻 It starts June 14th and I can hardly wait! ❤️✨
This Warrior II variation makes me feel like Captain Morgan 😂🥃✨ • Warrior II is the #poseoftheweek on my other page @spoonieyogatribe 👈🏼 Go check out the other variations and let me know which is your favorite 😁
Insomnia is a common complaint, even for people in otherwise good health, but for those of us who have chronic conditions, lack of sleep can be even more concerning since it can exacerbate our chronic symptoms, which are already bad enough as it is 😓 • When we sleep, the body is hard at work repairing damaged tissues and replenishing our energy stores. Getting enough sleep may not be a cure-all, but it can definitely help to improve our quality of life! • I love using yoga to help me wind down and relieve pain before bedtime. Here are three of my favorite poses to combat insomnia: 1️⃣ Seated Forward Bend - forward folds of any kind, including child’s pose are highly beneficial at bedtime. They soothe the nervous system and draw the awareness inward. Adding a bolster or block under the forehead makes this even more relaxing. • 2️⃣ Spinal Twist - gentle twisting can help to release any residual tension that may be lingering from the day. This can be any gentle twist you prefer, but I especially like this stag leg twist variation with a bolster since it is also a bit of a forward fold. • 3️⃣ Side-Lying Pose - this is an alternative to savasana, which would also be a good pose to do at bedtime. I like that side-lying pose soothes the digestive tract. I occasionally will wake up in the middle of the night with abdominal pain, and this pose can help a lot. Hugging the knees all the way into the chest is also an option. • All of these poses can be done in bed, too 👍🏼😴 Tap the link in my bio for the full-length guided video practice 👆🏼It’s included with your Tribe membership! If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up for your first week free + get instant access to this practice 🤗 • • • • #spoonie #spoonieyoga #spoonieyogatribe #chronicillness #chronicillnesswarrior #accessibleyoga #gentleyoga #beginneryoga #yogaforeverybody #whatayogilookslike #insomnia #insomniasucks #yogaforsleep #bedyoga
Lately I’ve been struggling with body image 😔 I think this is something most women struggle with at some point in their lives, but as a chronically ill woman, I think this struggle is multiplied by 10000 because on top of societal pressures to look a certain way, you’re also dealing with the feeling of being completely out of control of your body’s health. Add medications on top of it, and it’s even worse. • I recently discontinued taking fludrocortisone, which is a medication used to treat POTS and adrenal insufficiency. It is classed as a steroid medication. Several months ago, I stopped taking Hydrocortisone, which is also a steroid. One of the side-effects of steroids is weight gain, and I actually was really happy with the way my body looked while I was on these medications. I had more muscle tone and felt strong in my body. Unfortunately, they were causing other side-effects, so my doctor and I decided to switch me over to natural therapies. I know this was the right decision, but when I see my thin body in the mirror, when I see older pictures of myself on Instagram, I feel like I shouldn’t look the way that I do right now. I’ve experienced a gradual but significant weight loss over the past few months, and I feel like I’m still acclimating to my “new” body. None of my clothes fit right, and it’s kind of upsetting if I’m being honest. • Over the years, I’ve experienced a lot of changes to my physical appearance as a result of chronic illness. Anytime something changes, I automatically start freaking out about it, assuming that the change is wrong and that I need to do something to stop it. But this constant struggle against my body is exhausting. Maybe it’s okay that things change. Maybe it’s actually right for things to change. Maybe I’m supposed to be this size. Maybe my body knows exactly what it’s doing. Nothing happens in our bodies for no reason. So instead of jumping to conclusions, I’m going to try to step back, listen to what my body has to say, give it the benefit of the doubt and just trust that everything is as it should be right now. Society has set us up to be at war with ourselves, and I’m tired of it. My body is not my enemy ❤️