Devotional

First thing we did in Somatics today was watch the devotional by President Callister that he gave while we were at ACDF. It was basically about the body, and what it can do for us, and what we can gain from it. It was a really good talk....if you have a few spare minutes, I highly recommend that you either watch it or read it. I know I'm going to go back through and reread it.

Since today is Thursday, I (of course) had my one on one. The first thing Sister Wadsworth said to me was asking if I'm frustrated that I still can't breathe. Wow...she sure nailed that one on the head. So we talked about how maybe I need to try just allowing for the room to breathe, and see if that will help. We both know that it is possible for me to access good breathing, especially while doing mat work...but it's just being able to hold onto that feeling that is the main struggle for me. It was really validating to talk to her about this, because apparently this is basically what she has gone through as well, and it pretty much sounds like she knows exactly what I'm going through. I'm so glad that I'm not just being a pansy, and also that there is a way out. I can keep pushing forward!

As we were doing the mat work, something that became even more clear to me is the principle of only using what I need. It doesn't mean to release every muscle possible....it's not being lazy. It's just being efficient. It means there are definitely still muscles that I need to be in control of...just not all of them. That's the key. Finding what to be in control of, and what I can allow to just be free.

Then we worked on doing some plies and releves. As I was doing them, Sister Wadsworth started talking to me about how I have grown this semester. She told me that I have accessed length! This made me really happy...this is something that I've always longed for, and never really known how to acheive. I'm m so grateful that I have found a pathway that I can continue on. She also told me that I have gained more freedom in my joints, especially the hip. This I could agree with a little bit more...I can feel a bit of freedom. It's especially evident in the fact that my hips haven't been as achy this semester as they have been in the past.

Something else she told me that I thought was interesting was that it's okay for me to try gaining more stability in my knees when I'm in releve, since I don't have hyperextended knees. I think I've always had it hammered in my to NOT lock my knees, so I've done everything I could to keep a "breath" behind my knees...but my knees don't even go all the way straight, simply because of bone structure. And that might be one reason why I don't feel very stable when I'm in a releve, or when I'm doing some sort of turn. This was just another similarity that I share with Sister Wadsworth, and I'm so grateful for her insights! Even just doing the releves with more stability in the knees (not locking...just stabilizing) helped quite a bit. I think I've been counting on my ankles to hold me up for so long for fear of destroying my knees, that I've actually worn out my ankles. Especially since they're weak from previous sprains.

So basically, this was a very eye-opening session. Quite possibly the best session that I've had this semester!