Growth and Movement Milestones

I remember going to the doctor as a child with terrible pain in my legs. The doctor had me move my feet for him, stand and walk, and then asked me a bunch of questions. At the end of it, he told my mother and I that I would always have to do a lot of stretching because of my propensity to build muscle so quickly. Essentially my legs hurt because I was so muscle bound, and that muscle would not loosen on its own.

I learned early on that I didn't have a body that was likely ever to be able to fit into "slim fit" jeans of any sort (not when you have quads like tree trunks), do the splits, or have shoulders that look nice and slim in anything strapless (just take a gander at the wedding pictures- you will see it).

It should not have come as a surprise then, while in college that I was having horrible lower back pain. Again only to find out, that what originally seems like a good problem to have (yeah, if I wanted to be a body builder) was really a huge detriment. I spent a summer going to physical therapy, using a therapy ball to increase my stomach muscles to counteract my over-muscled back, and laying on tables and desks to do funny stretches to "release" my hips and lower back (I just tried to find a picture of this stretch online and failed, but it is worth a laugh, I'll keep looking).

Anyways, I was always being reminded I needed to work on flexibility and decrease tension held in my muscles. So, my first year out of college while living in a new city, I started doing Tai Chi (Chuan), a soft style martial art that is focused on health and relaxation. I really liked it while I was learning, although it took me a while to learn the routines. I sadly never kept up with it when I moved, because I could never find a studio that was close to my house.

So where I am I going with this really boring and meandering blog post about my muscles? Well, it is just to say that after lots of stops and starts with different stretching routines, ball exercises, yoga, and martial arts, that I have finally stuck to something for longer than 6 months. I have been going to Yoga class 1-2 times a week since January and I feel fantastic.

The reason I am posting about it now, is that for the first time yesterday in yoga class, I was able to make my legs flexible enough to be able to get my heels down to the ground while I was doing Downward Facing Dog! I knew that along the way I had been getting more flexible, I was increasing my balance, was more able to control my breathing, and was learning a lot about how to work into poses with a combination of letting go and pushing muscles, but when my heels hit the mat yesterday, it was a real indication of growth and increased movement. Everything else I had been thinking up until now seemed so subjective (am I really more flexible? less accident prone?) so it was nice to really see and feel! my progress. Yippee! or really Namaste!