Struggling with an Injury?

This week I’m learning about two words: agency and perseverance. Agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. Perseverance is continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulty, failure, or opposition. I recently sustained a knee injury that took me down and out, and it is challenging me and what I know in one blow!
 
It takes courage to change what we are doing automatically. Our bodies communicate with us  by asking to rest, recover, stretch, and soak in epsom salt. And at times we miss it. The first sign is to recognize something is not right, and notice when our body is telling us something. Recently, I've been forgetting to reflect and check in with myself, and kept on pushing it. The second step is to act on the messages our body is sending, and slow down. Since I didn't do that, I was forced to stop.  It makes me laugh a little because I work with so many people who have a hard time getting out of their comfort zone long enough to commit to their fitness routine. And here I am being addicted to doing too much and not resting enough. I am the student once again, learning that just because I can do something doesn’t necessarily mean I should continue to push.

We are in control of our actions, and we can disrupt auto pilot enough ask ourselves some important questions: "Why am I doing this?" "What are my intentions and goals?" and "Will this be beneficial tomorrow?” My initial tendency was to stress or freak out about what I can do in the future. But after rest and reflection, I realise that I don’t want to focus on what I can’t do. Instead, I want to focus on what I can do and build off that. My reasons for working out are to reduce stress, evade depression, and build confidence. My knee injury is a reminder that I have to do new things and different things. My true intention is to keep my body and mind healthy as a whole. I realize now that my injury is simply a sign to slow down physically and take it all in. I realize that my body needs both activity and recovery time.  
 
I can bring this lesson into many departments of my life. Strong mind equals strong body. So many of our values are shaped by what has been handed down to us by our family and society. Do, Do, Do as much as you can is what I've learned from our working culture, as well as my parents and their immigrant mentality. Sometimes I get to a certain point where I realize something isn't working, and yet I might still keep doing it because it’s what I’ve known. If I keep ignoring it, I sometimes end up getting injured and am then forced to stop.
 
It takes strength and wisdom to realize that you are only in control of your thoughts, discipline, body, and efforts. Self-confidence helps you decide what needs to change when you trust your intuition and yourself. There is no good or bad, every one of us must go through an experience to decide what we want more of and what we don't want more of and incorporate other things such as meditation, visualization, and taking stock of whatever works for you. Our feelings are our guidance, and yet those get clouded by our thoughts of our past. I like how Dr. Deepok Chopra describes our past as being layered: "You are in a world that is full of many complex relationships. Where it not only contains the past as it occurred, but the ways in which you have mentally revised the past. Escaping into fantasy, revenge, yearning, self reproach and guilt. To get rid of these distractions you need to realize that there is a deeper place where everything is alright."

I am learning that my agency starts with what sort of thoughts I sit with or let go of. That is why I meditate- to focus on what I let into my awareness and to find the stillness and a sanctuary into which I can retreat at any time and be myself; to know that I am whole and perfect and that my past has brought me to the perfect moment of 'now'. I can let go of trying to control others or things and let life be the lesson for us all.  Recognizing that fear is normal because I may be trying something new, I can’t let it stop me. I’ve learned to have compassion when I revert to my old ways because it's a practice. I will never arrive. As a teacher, I also need to be the student at times. There will always be something to work on, but that is part of the fun. 
 
Lastly, remember that you have choices at every step of the way. Persevere and focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t. You can always start again. Have the courage to try something new. People may have known you to be a certain way, but you can always course correct and communicate better, even through adversity. And work on the small things like your thoughts.

Moments of crisis such as injuries are opportunity to make different choices. These situations are invitations to redefine our identity and to feel all of it so we remember what we want to have. For me, I want freedom in my body, mind, and spirt. Financial freedom. Meaningful relationships. Peace of mind. What are yours?

Even if you don’t know, I invite you to on your identity and your desires at our upcoming retreat. Rejuvenation. April 27-30th. It’s a three day weekend in Poulsbo where you can take the time and space to figure that out for yourself.

 Reserve your spot today.