Inspiration

I am quite frequently thinking about what I will post next here. My loose plan for today was to write about Half Moon and Hands to Feet pose, the opening sequence of postures.

There is an old Jewish saying I like: "man plans God laughs".

Just as I was about to go into class to put my mat down, the teacher called me to the front desk. The teacher was concerned about a new student, a young woman who attends one of the several colleges nearby. On our registration form I ask if there are any physical problems we should know about. The new student had entered "cerebral palsy" on the form.

Cerebral palsy is a disease caused by a pathology in the cerebral cortex of the brain. It can be a very disabling condition. Most who have it are born with it. There is no known cause or cure. Fortunately this young woman was not too severe. She did, however, have difficulty with motor skills. She had poor physical coordination.

The new Yogi was an absolute charmer. I could see right away she tries to make the people she is talking with feel comfortable. She had a kind of don't- worry-I'm-okay way about her.

So today in the fourth class of my sixty day challenge I was often looking over my shoulder in the mirror to be certain our newest student was doing okay. The only real modification she needed was to use the ballet bar for balance. She worked hard and did the best she could. It was so inspiring.

My hips have been a little sore from a lot of practicing lately. The new Yogi stole the thunder from that excuse for sure.

After class I was sitting on my big blue exercise ball in the lobby. It's my favorite place to cool down and watch the sweaty Yogis come out of the hot room. When the new student came out I introduced myself and talked with her a little.

I have a little knowledge of brain anatomy and I know her condition is not yet something that can be cured. I told her neuronal growth (brain cells) is not something that will happen. But axons (what brain cells are connected with) do grow and form ever expanding networks. Yoga promotes axonal growth.

I told her to keep coming and expect miracles. She gave me a big smile and said that's why she was here.