Opportunities to Learn

Earlier this week I had a discussion with some students about how many yoga teachers, trainers, and fitness professionals I know with injuries or chronic pain. And they were suprised. The body is what we study and teach about - shouldn‘t we know enough to avoid common mistakes?

But I think there’s an issue with seeing injury or pain as a misstep, something we did wrong. The human body is set up mostly the same way in most humans. Where we overcompensate or struggle to engage or put stress is going to be pretty universal. I have learned the most about the body from working through chronic pain at my SI joint and recognizing limited mobility in my toes or sleepy glutes or traps that like to overwork.

Mistakes are only mistakes if we view them as such. We could also choose to see pain or injury as opportunities to learn more about ourselves, to problem solve, to reach out to community, and learn from experts. The best educators, at least in my mind, are the ones who have dealt with injury and pain and seen them as a chance to grow and share knowledge and solutions.