Homecoming

Be easy. Take your time. You are coming home. To yourself.
Nayyirah Waheed

“Would you say you are British or Indian?” A question I’ve been asked countless times over the course of my life but it’s cropped up even more in the past weeks. A friend once described me in the mini-biog place card at her wedding dinner as a “spicy British Indian cocktail” and I reckon that’s still pretty accurate.

“Well I was born and brought up in the UK but I have Indian blood”. I’d like to think that I’ve assimilated the best of both cultures – and it’s not always easy to reconcile the two I have to admit. Similarly, my last week at the clinic meant assimilating into my body an even more intense treatment programme with not one but two realignments.

The first was on Tuesday and focused solely on my upper spine and neck following on from the hybong (treatment for calcification) which had been applied the night before. I felt completely dazed, wiped out and generally quite rough after my realignment…luckily I had my little canine friend to keep me company whilst I snoozed and recovered (you may remember him from one of my first posts).

Pre- and post-realignment

The next day however was altogether different. So as brutal as the day before had been, clearly something had worked. I felt energised, alive and I really connected with everyone I encountered that day and had the most wonderful conversations – they truly “saw” me. I talked to my coach that afternoon about how I was feeling about returning to London, and it was then that I realised and articulated out loud for the first time that I felt like I was already home – both in India and also within myself.

During my final wrap-up session at the clinic, synchronicity was definitely at play…the discussion focused on how a big part of the treatment at the clinic is getting people to trust in their bodies (sound familiar?) but I also received an impromptu pep talk: “You can do anything” – and at this point she wasn’t just talking about my physical rehabilitation.

Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.
David Whyte

So I return “home” to London stronger both in body and mind, and hoping I can keep my heart as open as possible even when I’m back in the throes of big city life. I will have to go back to the clinic at some point to finish my treatment, but in the meantime I conclude this part of my journey with a practice that I did every night before going to bed. The list could of course go on forever but here are my 5 gratitudes from time in Goa: