It was great to see many of you yesterday in our monthly meeting for our online community, Sadhana Circle.

Recently. a yoga student said to me after class “I don't want to admit that I'm getting older”. She has an on-and-off-again shoulder injury that gets better then worse again. When there's pain, she modifies her practice and as soon as the pain is gone, she happily forgets about her shoulder until it starts to bother her again.

Many of us know this cycle. We've checked a problem off our list – done - then it either comes back or has morphed into something else. Not fun or done. Add into the mix the reality of our own aging, that injuries and illness tend to magnify.

Another student emailed that she finally got the diagnosis about what's wrong with her shoulder. It's been a shoulder time! She wrote me that as challenging as it is to have the injury, she's embracing the chance to get creative in her yoga practice. There was a genuine inspiration to try new asanas and variations. She saw herself for what she could do and not what was holding her back. Without minimizing her injury, she saw that this was an opportunity to take her practice in an unexpected direction. Her creativity could flourish.

No one wants to have an injury or physical limitation, but the reality is that we all will and do have restrictions. They may not always be glaringly apparent, especially when we're young. This is one of the gifts of youth, we're building up our strength and resilience, exploring our boundaries.  As we age, through conscious yoga asana and pranayama practice and practice of the other limbs of yoga, we can expand the thresholds of what we think we can do. At 58, my physical struggles aren't what they were at 48, 38, or 28. When I look back, I know that I struggled then too, only differently than I do now.

Practicing yoga without props doesn't make it a better or more advanced practice. Taking the support, when needed, of the wall, blocks, or ropes isn't a cop out. Our practice is to support our whole self. The notion that we should be able to do everything the same way forever is a myth that disregards our changing selves. Not all change is good. Sometimes it's just miserable. But even when we feel miserable, we can practice yoga with thoughtfulness and care. If we can do that, even with our misery, we're creating something new, be it for our shoulder or our life.