When I fell and landed on my back while walking down icy stairs a few years ago, I knew immediately that it was serious. I remember having the wind knocked out of me and being unable to move for what seemed like a very long time. I had never experienced this kind of pain before.
My lower back was throbbing and I was feeling worse by the minute. I was afraid to move because I didn’t know if I was making my condition worse. The emergency clinic told me I couldn’t put any pressure on my coccyx and told me I had to take time off of work and go on leave. My workplace reminded me to check in weekly, pressuring me to return, but I knew I wasn’t ready. I could barely put any pressure on my fractured tailbone, which meant that sitting was nearly impossible.
When I went to the doctor for a follow-up visit, he recommended cortisone shots or surgery. I felt despair over these options. I found out and researched that people experienced more complications after the surgery and it didn’t solve the original issue.
I found it interesting that this happened during a time when I felt unsupported in my life, but that’s another story. Our bodies always send us messages that we need to hear.
I happened to be at the library stocking up on reading material for the long days ahead and saw a book which discussed yoga for back pain. I was skeptical because I’ve always heard that yoga heals everything, but I wasn’t so sure this time yoga would work for me.
I started doing child’s pose, cat cow, modified bridge, making circles with my legs while lying on my back, and other exercises. I was scared to hurt myself, but knew that the exercises were gentle and felt slightly better after the first few sessions. At first, even the simplest exercises were challenging. I noticed that I was gradually getting stronger and started to feel hopeful, even though I was stuck at home and doing daily tasks such as bathing were painful. Yoga also lifted me out of my blue moods and was the only exercise I could literally do during my recovery. In the beginning, I was afraid to walk in my neighborhood because anything that touched my back, even by accident, sent me into a spasm of pain.
During my resting period, I saw the research that supports yoga’s ability to heal in a holistic and gentle way for multiple issues. I knew intuitively that this was the right path for me. I started to gradually improve each week.
When I returned to the doctor, he told me to continue what I was doing. We can try different modalities beyond the traditional route. I’m a convert on the power of yoga to heal and transform.
