Yoga For The Terrified:

Good morning everyone out there (it may be evening for some of you... actually it may be evening by the time I finish this article)! I'm about to tell you a tale of a girl who used to do yoga, then got into a really bad accident, stopped yoga (and everything else), for two and a half years due to extreme pain, mobility issues and fear, when she met a yoga instructor who would change her life forever.

Well, that girl is me, and the yoga instructor is Erin. Some of you may know about the accident and some may not, so I will quickly recap what happened and move on. I was riding my bicycle one morning on July 20th of 2009, when a driver in a van very suddenly and with force, opened his door. I was beside the van I didn't see what hit me (I didn't see a door open and then run into it- the door hit me from the side). All I knew was that I was thrown from my bike into traffic, and that I was in the worst pain of my life, which would last for a very long time.

My upper left arm was snapped in half and sticking out in an unnatural way just under my skin,  my right knee was torn (meniscus), my hip was out and my back neck were too. Luckily the traffic stopped before hitting me, and it turned out
that an Emergency Services Vehicle was directly behind, so they were on me in a few seconds!


I was taken away in an ambulance, and it goes from there with physiotherapy for over two years, tons of specialists, doctors, a cane, knee surgery and a psychotherapist to help me get over the trauma. I stopped everything. I became a hermit, not wanting to leave the house, and life became a little miserable for me. My readers may not have known how bad it was because I tried my best to remain positive for the blog and continue on the message of encouragement for those making the effort to live a Vegan or Vegetarian lifestyle. And sometimes when you pretend to feel good, you can actually have that sense, and it lifts you up. So thank you so much to all of you for pushing me in that direction.

 My great friend Azy (on the left here), went through all of this with me, and a few weeks ago she said something to me that never left my mind, and triggered a profound change in my feelings about what I could and could not do. She said to me that "our bodies are powerful machines that can do anything we decide to".  And it was that simple. It changed my perception of the problems I was having. I had made up this story in my head that I could no longer do the things I loved, and that I would just have to live with the pain and let it take control of me. This may seem like a "Well, duh" moment to a lot of you, but it really struck me that I was wallowing in the accident and reliving it every day instead of realizing that it was just something that happened.

Now let's talk about Erin. Erin is a remarkable human being who came into my life at just the right time. She is a vibrant spirit who has a great sense of humour and compassion for anyone she comes into contact with. AND she teaches yoga. I agreed to go to a yoga class she was teaching at a beautiful and inviting little studio called Flow!  here in Toronto, because she was just starting out there and I wanted to show my support. I decided that I would be at the back of the class so I wouldn't be as embarrassed, but I was still terrified that I would look like an idiot because I hadn't done any yoga since before the accident. I had to make myself go, when the time came, and I just wanted to get it over with (if I can be honest here).

But Erin's class was life-changing for me. It turned out to be the most soul-nourishing, embracing, non-threatening and lovely yoga class I had ever taken! It was what yoga should be (to me). I felt fantastic afterward, and I can't thank her enough. AND... I have done yoga every single day at home since then, along with taking a class from Erin once a week! I am in love with life again! It has changed everything, and I am so so grateful.

So thank you thank you thank you to my friends who have stood by me. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY (at least when I achieve my goal of convincing everyone to go Vegan, and treat animals, people and the planet with all the love they have!!)! 

XOXO

Lyn
Ps. If you would like to join us on Wednesday evenings at 7pm for yoga at Flow! just send Erin a quick message to register a little in advance :)