I did restorative yoga last night. I describe it as a combination of yoga and massage. For two hours, we use props to gently stretch our body and rid the toxins. Our instructor Cindy is also versed in reiki energy. As we bend and breathe into different poses, she tweaks our stance for optimal benefit. Ganesha offers it quarterly and I try to always take it. Last night’s class felt like spring cleaning for the mind-body-spirit. Afterwards I was so relaxed, I didn’t bike home. I didn’t want to disrupt the natural high. When I got home, I took an epsom salt bath, had a glass of wine and watched “Parks & Recreation.” I slept the deep sleep of the unburdened for 9 hours.
Yoga practice teaches people to get in touch with their body. How is it feeling? What does it need? My shoulders are an issue in yoga. I started practicing yoga 15 months ago. I don’t know if it’s always been a problem or it’s just been more obvious since I’ve gotten better at poses. My shoulders love to be active during any and every pose. Without my conscious knowledge, I go into cringe mode. Regularly, Mindy will say in class, “get your shoulders down away from your ears.” I know it’s a directive to me. Last night, every time Cindy adjusted my body, she pushed my shoulders down and back. Simultaneously, she’d murmur to the class, “release your shoulders, breathe energy into them, let the prop support the body so the shoulders can rest.”
I was poking around on the internet to see if there was an emotional connection to shoulder tension. I foundthis article that blames work. I can get behind that. I’ve had a huge transformation on my work team. I had supervised my former teammates for 9 and 6 years, respectfully. The wake of their departure has been sweetbitter. Initially, there was a celebration for each honoring their contribution. Since the farewell, the connection has turned sour. I’m not certain what happened. I just know when I look at my new team, I want to avoid history repeating. How can I manage them in ways that helps them grow professionally? How can I set them up for success in not only positively contributing to the agency but also exiting in satisfaction for that contribution?
So, yes, figuratively I carry the weight of the work on my shoulders. And right along with that, physically work is doing a number on my shoulders. Who knew when I chose not to take typing in high school in 1980 that it would affect my career? At 16, I had no intention of being a secretary. I, grandiosely, expected to have a secretary in whatever life path I chose. So how ironic that computers and I would enter the workforce together. I’ve had a computer on my desk at work from the beginning. I have almost thirty years of pecking my keyboard and staring at a computer screen. Allowing for vacation and meetings, I guestimate 30,000 hours of being hunched over a computer. I think I have the shoulder version of carpal tunnel.
Now that, I am aware of it. I regularly adjust myself to drop my shoulders down. I feel like Molly Shannon on Seinfeld as I try to keep my shoulders from bouncing back up.