"Here's my yoga is amazing and everyone should do it story..." -Lee Kussman
I'm what most people call "accident-prone." I've always been considered kind of a klutz and it's not uncommon for me to have some sort of random injury. This never gave me too much trouble until August 2014 when I had a bad horseback riding fall and dislocated my SI joint (basically where your pelvis rests on your spine for those of us less than proficient in human anatomy).
After that trauma, I spent literally years in constant pain, feeling more and more completely hopeless to ever be able to live a pain-free existence and desperately searching to find some way to improve my condition. I tried physical therapy, multiple doctors and x-rays, home remedies, and even considered surgery (and at my lowest points, complete amputation. You can live without a pelvis and lower back, right?) Nothing seemed to help me enough to feeling close to normal functioning. I had thought about trying yoga and had heard of some of the physical benefits, but I had taken a few classes before that were WAY out of my comfort zone. I am possibly the least flexible person you'll ever meet, so that really scared me away.
That is, until I met Erin through a mutual friend and learned more about The Yellow Door/Mind Body Project. She told me that the work she and her colleagues do is catered to helping people feeling more connected and at ease in their bodies through mindfulness and "go at your own pace" yoga. I immediately knew I wanted to try it and decided to go to one of The Mind Body Project's Yoga Brunches with The Juice Laundry (Second Sundays at The Yellow Door in Charlottesville, VA. Coming soon to Richmond + DC.) Everyone was incredibly kind and receptive to my individual physical needs and experience, and the beginner yoga class that Shawn taught was amazing on a physical, spiritual, emotional, and even molecular level. But the best part? Almost immediately after the class I noticed that my SI pain and discomfort felt more alleviated than it had since before my accident. Just one session with The Mind Body Project turned me from someone crying in pain and unable to fall asleep due to a chronic injury into a happy, healthy, fully functional human being. And still, a month after the class, I am virtually pain free. I literally can't say enough good things about my experience and I can't wait to see what more The Mind Body Project will do in my life!