Why do I love yoga?

By Eugenia Katsnelson
March 2007

It’s been two years since I started attending classes at Shree Yoga Studios. And although I’ve been doing some kind of yoga – off and on – for as long as I can remember, finding this studio felt like finally coming home.

Since my early childhood I have dreamt of becoming a ballerina; ever since my mother brought me to a ballet studio when I was only five years old. From the very beginning I loved it. And not for the glamour of the theater lights and beautiful costumes, but for the beauty of my body moving to the sound of music, the movement itself becoming a music of expression. I loved the feeling of my body listening to my inner commands, the feeling of being a Master of my own body.

To become a ballerina was not in the cards for me, but when I was introduced to yoga, this love of dance turned into what has become a life long passion for yoga.

Yoga makes me feel really good. It allows me to feel in touch with my body, with my inner self, and to be in command of my body. And when I started practicing at Shree Yoga, this added another dimension to my yoga practice - it became a wonderful blend of physical and spiritual bliss. The inspiring theme of the yoga class usually resonates deeply with my own thoughts and feelings. Every class becomes a journey into myself.

Coming to yoga class for me is always a highlight of my day. I am looking forward to it. That’s why, when I arrive, I am smiling from ear to ear. In a way, is’ like having a date with myself, and being at the same time surrounded by friendly faces and souls.

Recently I had a pretty bad accident. As I was walking to the bus stop, crossing Paskack Road early one morning on my way to work, a truck hit me. It was absolutely terrifying. I was thrown to the ground by a sudden force. I realized at once that back of my head had hit the pavement and was bleeding. I remember one thought that overpowered me during those initial moments – "I must not loose consciousness – then I will be OK."

I was diagnosed with a fracture of the cervical spine (neck vertebrae).

Thank God, I am recovering.

Being a yoga practitioner has really helped me to go through all the hardships of this ordeal. For instance, I had to wear a hard neck brace for 12 weeks, non-stop.

My yoga practice helped give me the patience to deal with this restriction with a positive attitude – even at night, when I had to sleep with it on sitting almost vertically propped up on tons of pillows. Yoga has also enhanced my ability to listen to my body which has allowed me to better understand what was going on with different parts of my body at a given time. When I was in pain, I could specifically identify the source of pain. I could control which part of my body needed to be protected during every single movement, and which parts I could safely use. The fact that I was generally in pretty good shape from doing so much yoga before the accident seems to have helped me to manage better during the difficult time of recovery.

Now I am able move around the house without the brace. I have started physical therapy and I am counting weeks until I can resume my yoga practice. Only then I will be able to say that my life is fully back on track. Thank you Chaya for adding so much joy into my life.

Student Stories:

Michelle Mandelman		Bea Cronin		Mickey Schwartz		Donna Miele
Buddha		Lois Gudeon Sloan		Herb Benkel		Eugenia Katsnelson

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