Realignment

She fell, she crashed, she broke, she cried, she crawled, she hurt, she surrendered and then…she rose again.

Nausicaa Twila

“There are so many synchronicities here – I’m seeing the connection between things more and more” I told my coach on Wednesday, “or maybe it’s just that when I’m in London, my head is so full of stuff, that I can’t recognise them”.

Synchronicity is everywhere if we choose to see it – or at least have the space and time to notice it! When you slow down enough to listen to your body and put your attention on what it needs, it creates the space for things to flow more naturally and to be honest, everything just seems that little bit easier…

After hitting a wall in my third week you can probably understand that I started week 4 with some intrepidation. Strangely (or maybe not so strangely), it turned out to be a week of connection – both within my body and with those around me.

“BREATHE!” – a word we hear bellowed at us almost every day in stretch class. But it’s definitely not just for the sake of it. It’s the simple act of remembering to breathe that has gotten me through the wariness that I felt at the beginning of the week, and helped me to be fully present and in the NOW. Focusing on my breath and breathing through the pain has been completely transformative, and at some points I found myself in an almost meditative state despite the fact that I was doing something quite physically demanding.

However you look at it – embracing the pain, surrendering or simply letting go – it’s exactly this which opens us up to a more easy and natural state of being, where our needs and desires are met. To sum it up, on Thursday I thought something…and it happened!

I was running late for class and as I was power-walking down the lane I wished that my friend was driving past on his scooter and so could give me a lift – I turned the corner and there he was! The same day I had my realignment and I was thinking that morning about how I would ideally like the conversation with the doctor to go (bearing in mind we were briefed that patients must be silent during treatment) – he was really open and chatty so it went even better than I had imagined! Later that evening I was pretty wiped out and felt like watching a movie…a few minutes later, I received a message from a friend saying they had space at their table for movie night at one of my favourite restaurants.

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So, always wish for what you want…or even better! Even better than I could have imagined was my update meeting at the clinic. I asked how far along I was in terms of overall progress…5% or maybe 10% and was completely shocked to hear that I was much further ahead. More importantly, I am starting to walk better, my hips are more square, the curve in my neck is starting to come back and I am connecting through all the different parts of my body rather than compensating with one part of my body for a misalignment elsewhere. I am basically starting to undo the damage and relearning how to use my body properly. Of course this is just the start of the journey, but it’s a start nevertheless.

When you allow the “even better” to flow, that’s where the magic happens. I’ve reconnected with my passion for singing and felt drunk with laughter with the help of some wonderful friends here…and a bright green bathroom! And not forgetting some truly beautiful and unexpected adventures…from clambering over rocks to see the sunset over the bay…to being within spitting distance of eagles swooping down to the water…to taking a raft across the beach by moonlight when the tide had come in.

And above all watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.

Roald Dahl

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