Monday, November 4, 2013

Listen to your body

More than a year after delivering my child, I got back to my personal practice. I think it is the most challenging thing that I have done till now. You get into such a comfort zone; the whole idea of shedding the visible weight off your body and the invisible burden off your shoulders sounds daunting. (Crazy, if I may say so!). Initially dancing a two minute tatta adavu felt like a punishment. Slowly and steadily, I was able build up only as much stamina needed for a 15 min performance. I wasn’t putting in as much time as I should but then I was also full time into rearing a 12 month old!!

Then one fine day, I developed excruciating pain in my right knee. I postponed visiting the doctor until the pain started hindering my practice. When I visited my physiotherapist, he gave me a couple of exercises and advised me to stop dancing for 3-4 days and cautioned me. “It’s the beginning of arthritis”, he said.

That was quite a scare so I took his advice and rested for a couple of days. What followed was worse! I would feel sudden spasms of pain in my lower back and ankles and my legs became so heavy as if made of lead. Doing even daily chores became tiresome. I started to think the worse of my future as a dancer.

I had no option but to start dancing again as I had a solo event coming up in a month’s time. I did the warm ups with a little less fervour and dreaded doing the first piece. But what I felt during and after the session was absolute bliss. The pain just vanished and I felt very energized and fresh and my body felt flexible! So far, the pain has not worsened.

We go to doctors for help and they are blessings in disguise. But had I heeded my physiotherapist’s advice, I would still be reeling in negativity both mentally and physically. Instead, I decided to listen to myself, my body and just go with the flow.

Your doctor may understand your physical anatomy, but YOUR body and YOUR mind belong to you alone. So get rest, eat properly, exercise sufficiently and just go with it!

- Shivangee Vikram

No comments:

Post a Comment