By Kelly (Kushala) Sharp, Yogaratna
Elizabeth, who is 90 years old, has taken Svaroopa® yoga classes for 15 years.
An avid gardener, she often loses track of time when working in the yard. In the spring, she stopped taking yoga classes because she strained her neck and right shoulder.
Her neck continued to get worse. So Elizabeth signed up for a package of yoga therapy sessions and then an Overlap Healing* series. Her treatment goal was to feel as good as possible for the rest of her time on Earth.
After five yoga therapy sessions, Elizabeth’s neck and shoulder pain was gone. As it lessened, she had become aware of an old pain in her sacrum.
Embodyment® in a yoga pose became the focus of our sessions, and Elizabeth continued to deepen. During her Overlap series, she joked saying she didn’t know how she could feel any better. And yet she did!
Elizabeth started to incorporate changes into her gardening routine. She set a timer while gardening so she wouldn’t overdo it. She did Slow Motion Dive as soon as she came into the house. If she had more gardening to do, she took a break before heading back out. The changes in her gardening behavior supported her changes from the Overlap Healing series.
Then Elizabeth took a fall when the wind caught her foot. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground. Elizabeth was concerned that she’d aggravated the areas yoga therapy had improved.
Aside from her left knee being a little tender, however, Elizabeth was no worse for wear. At her age such a fall could have been a real game changer. She was delighted with the unexpected outcome.
The changes that the yoga therapy made in Elizabeth’s body noticeably increased her resilience. When we discussed the event, Elizabeth said that the fall had felt different. I told her, “That’s because yogis bounce!”
*Overlap Healing is a series of yoga therapy sessions done daily for 5-10x, then every other day, then twice weekly.
SVA Blog 