I’m a nut about great posture.
That’s because you can’t get rid of chronic back pain or just about any other chronic pain through energy healing alone.
I am a great believer in an integrated approach to health. Fitness, nutrition and natural healing – that’s the subtitle to my business name, Total Fitness. Many times a person is working hard in one area while overlooking easy but unknown-to-them solutions in another modality.
On Sunday, I had a private session with Lillah Schwarz, owner of Lighten Up Yoga in Asheville, North Carolina. I wanted Lillah’s guidance about my right shoulder, which has been healing up, but I wanted to make sure that I am not overdoing anything that would delay or interrupt the repair process and wanted to find out which specific exercises Lillah thinks I should do next to get even better.
Lillah recommended that I lie on yoga blocks in the shape of an egg.
These eggs, which you can read about at www.threeminuteegg.com, were developed by Jason Scholder, who is attending the yoga teacher training with me.
I had first seen yoga eggs in a class taught by my dear friend Jose Blanco. Jose was my yoga student. One year, he lost his job. Even though there are times when I usually take a break from teaching, that year I kept teaching my yoga class no matter what because yoga was saving Jose on just about every level during his protracted unemployment.
That gift has come back to me multiplied. Now Jose is not only my friend, he himself has become a very excellent yoga teacher. He runs a yoga book club that I attend and subs my classes when I can finally find time to go away on vacation. His kindness has saved me on many occasions.
When I first saw the yoga eggs in Jose’s class, I wasn’t sure what to make of them. Jose was quite enthusiastic, however, but I thought to myself, “Jose is enthusiastic about just nearly everything to do with yoga.”
I listened carefully to Lillah as she told me to lie with my back on the yoga eggs every day. She said that I have a bit of kyphosis, which is certainly aggravated by my constant habit of bending over to knit and make jewelry. When I go into my hobbies, like many people, I get so excited about what I am doing I forget my posture almost entirely.
I listened, and dutifully bought a pair of yoga eggs. Blue in color, I just took Lillah’s word for it until the following day.
I was feeling great after three days of yoga. I scheduled a massage for the morning after my yoga teacher training, figuring that would help any sore muscles. My massage therapist, Destini Adamz, was teaching me some very unusual shoulder stretches that I had not seen before. I like to learn from everybody, so I had her repeat the stretches. She very carefully asked me to notice how far was comfortable, which was already way above the average range of motion for any of her other clients.
When I got off the table, I felt wonderful except for the shooting pain down my right arm. It went all the way to my right little finger, following the line of the heart meridian.
Deeply disappointed in myself for being so aggressive after three previous days of yoga, I remembered that Lillah had said that if I lay on the eggs for seven minutes every day, my shoulder pain would be much better.
I brought out the eggs and followed Lillah’s instructions. Seven minutes later, I got up. My shoulder pain was gone!!!!!
I knew that Jason Scholder was very dedicated to educating yogis like myself how to use the eggs. I already have a beautiful set of wooden yoga blocks, so I wasn’t sure that Jason’s eggs would do anything really different.
Now I am like a reformed smoker. Everybody should lie on their backs on Jason’s yoga eggs!!! I immediately thought of at least five people whose pain would be greatly diminished if they just lay on Jason’s eggs. I began plotting who to give the yoga eggs to for birthday presents.
Part of the reason I had demurred when I saw the yoga eggs was about where I teach yoga. I teach yoga in a church. Holy Spirit Catholic Church has been very kind to allow me to teach there. We have one of the most beautiful rooms I have ever seen for practicing yoga, but there is zero room for storage. We have to haul our mats and our straps with us. I have been hesitant to ask my students to bring any blankets or blocks or sticks – other yoga props that make a significant difference.
Lillah told me that the eggs are so light that I can throw them in a duffle bag and carry them with me. I already have my seven pound Manduka yoga mat and another duffle bag with my music player, straps and books to read during relaxation.
People who see me going into yoga class tell me I look like a pack mule. Soon I will be looking more like Santa Claus with a duffle full of Jason’s eggs.
In yoga, we sometimes say we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Our progress comes from the many great people ahead of us.
Thank you Lillah! Thank you Jose! Thank you Jason!
