Damn, my upper back hurts. Kinda like one of those times where you sleep all wrong and you wake up all sore and you can’t move. This is really annoying.
But this didn’t occur over night. My body has been telling me something and I’ve been ignoring it. For maybe the past month, when I’ve been going to bed, I’ve been feeling something small in my neck. A small tightness. I quickly ignored it thinking that it is nothing.
This morning started like a normal morning. It was my first time giving hot yoga a try. And it was fun. A lot more challenging than normal Yoga. As I walked into the heated room, my shoulder/upper back was bothering me a bit. It was flow Yoga. It was hot. I didn’t pass out, so I call it a success. My prior Yoga experience consists of attending a community Yoga class once a week for about 2 months. So of course I was ready, I mean how much harder can it get. What an understatement. I found out that adding heat creates another dimension to the practice. But it all felt good in the end. Aside from my abdominal muscles cramping up twice, the class was quite fun. But anyways, going home after class, my shoulder started to hurt in the car. By the time I got home, small movements were painful. Yes, I made the mistake of over pushing my muscles because they were feeling so warm and flexible. Plus I think my body was trying to tell me earlier that I needed some healing in that area.
Louise Hay, states that our mental states affect and manifest illnesses in our body. She calls these dis-eases. She says that problems with the upper back stem from “Lack of emotional support. Feeling unloved. Holding back love.” And the affirmation that I need to use is: “I love and approve of myself. Life supports and loves me.” I think a lot of the time I look for external places for emotional support or to feel loved. And while that works sometimes, it is not a great long term strategy. I will need to love myself first in order for my body to heal itself. It has always been that way.
So what a great lesson moving into 2016. A lesson that says self-care is more important than ever. As it always was. I wish you all a fulfilling and healthy 2016.