Recently, while waiting in line at the grocery store, I listened and observed the conversations that were happening around me. Because of what I do I couldn’t help but notice the topics were centered around some type of injury or ailment. I didn’t know any of these people personally and yet their stories were all similar to what I’ve heard over and over again in other settings. There were four people, friends, gathered around a grocery cart. They appeared to be in their late 40s early 50s. They all seemed to be from athletic backgrounds and trying to maintain a certain level of fitness.
One guy was wearing a wrist brace from a recent carpal tunnel surgery. He described a nagging pain in their wrist for over 4 years. The recovery process was taking longer than anticipated and it was really impact
ing his work as a guitar player and music teacher. Another person, a lawyer, during a recent tailgating event, was moving tables out of a truck when she could feel something “bad” happen all the way to the middle of her spine. She left the event immediately to visit her favorite massage therapist who just happened to have an open spot. Another person was frustrated because she was working to rehab a recent knee injury when she fell off her bike and hurt her shoulder. In all of her frustration she said, “I get one thing feeling better and something else pops up!” The fourth person pipes in with, “That’s crazy! Two nights ago I hurt my back shifting positions in bed. Now I can barely walk without pain!”
What do all of these people have in common? They are all living busy, stressful lives and they rely on short-term fixes to “Keep the horse on the track!” The difference is that lame horses get taken off the track and people have to keep going and going and going to infinity. Short-term fixes don’t address the whole body. Kaiut Yoga does. We address the whole body and system all the time.
As you might guess, I don’t say anything during these encounters mainly because I don’t want to sound like an infomercial. I really don’t want to be that person who goes on and on about how Kaiut Yoga fixes everything and that everyone should be doing it.
We all need a variety of healing modalities, including the medical field. If I break my arm, you can be certain I’m finding a doctor and a good surgeon. I listen carefully to these conversations so I can learn to more clearly communicate why it’s important to be consistent with a practice like Kaiut Yoga. Consistency is like an insurance policy to prevent what I call the short-term fix roller coaster ride.
Recently, I reached out to ask what was keeping people from attending classes. One of the main things I heard was, “I really love these classes but I just can’t make them work with my schedule.”
I get it! I think one of the obstacles is that our busy lives keep us locked in a pattern of short-term fixes. It becomes a habitual pattern of work, work, work, injury or ailment, short-term fix and back to work. We wake up in the middle of the night with pain, wake up limping and reschedule our day around going to the doctor. You can get in front of this cycle.
The problem with this protocol is the body stays locked in old, well-established patterns and doesn’t have a chance to learn new and better ways to compensate. Nor does the body have a chance to integrate old injuries, surgeries or regain function from losses.
I don’t want anyone to think that I’m an evangelist running around preaching the Kaiut Yoga Gospel. Although, if given the chance, I would. I do think people need to give it a chance. If you’ve been dealing with pain for one or more years, try it for a year. Try something that will empower you. Something that will get you out of the cycle of short-term fixes. Try a method focused on longevity.
We don’t think that there could be a better way. Or, we don’t think, “I’m done with this roller coaster, I’ll do whatever it takes.” This moment usually comes only when the pain gets quite intolerable. That’s usually when people are ready to commit. They are ready to do the hard work that’s required for long-term relief.
The new year will be here before you know it. January 2023 would be the perfect time for you to set new goals, learn something new and to put Kaiut Yoga to the test. One-off classes are nice and they can give you some relief. The real proof is in making a commitment to yourself, your body and the potential you have for living a life with more ease and not so many interruptions.
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