Written by: Whitney Zora Stetler, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Let’s get real for a moment. There are days when you are not on your game and there are days when your workout is not hitting. Maybe even weeks, or months. How can you bounce back to your peak performance? Maybe call friends and spill the mind? Run for hours (not a bad idea, actually) or binge on Ben & Jerry’s over a few of your favorite shows… but, does that really heal you?
Perhaps you got dealt a hard blow, lost a job, or worse, a family member? Maybe you were in an accident and sustained an injury? What if you’re secretly struggling with addiction or an eating disorder? This is real stuff here, this happens. Guess what? You’re not alone, and there IS a way through it. The key is to realize you can choose to move through it and recover. We would like to share insights into how Yoga will help you through your recovery.
Physical Recovery
It is a pleasure to introduce you to a fellow instructor, R. Scott Byers. You can learn from him at some of our upcoming yoga retreats and also follow him on Instagram @someones.hero. This is his ongoing story of recovery with the practice of yoga:
In June of 2019, I graduated from a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program and then roughly one month later, on July 4th of 2019, I was involved in a major accident on my racing motorcycle. I was interested in yoga for a few reasons, initially. I was unexpectedly single after a bad relationship that took a lot out of me emotionally and financially while also recovering from a lesser motorcycle accident in 2018 where I had casts on both arms. Joining the local yoga studio was one of the best decisions I made. In addition to being surrounded by beautiful, healthy women who were often very genuine and in touch with their true selves, I was also able to start recovering physically and emotionally from the wreck my life had been. The great results and positive vibes fed my curiosity about becoming a teacher. I wanted to know more and to share all the benefits with my motorcycle and workout friends.
Then came the accident that could have killed me: My right foot and ankle shattered, my left leg was torn and shattered at the knee, a broken right hand, and nine broken ribs. I was in hospitals and rehab for roughly 6 months. During the darkest of days, lying motionless in a nursing home bed, the ability to meditate and turn my mind to the power within my soul is what kept me alive and away from depression. I knew I was still alive for a reason. The ability to focus and breathe through discomfort and be in touch with the capabilities of my physical body as I began rehab helped me to stay positive and make big gains.
The truth is, I will never quite walk right again, but I can still do yoga, lift weights and even ride mountain bikes. I've learned that fitness, and especially the role of yoga in a healthy regimen, is a lifetime journey of staying in touch with your body and soul. Yoga is a great way to recover and actually improve from post-workout stress and the soreness we get from the extreme things we do with our bodies, and of course, there are all the beautiful spirits within your local yoga studio who will inspire, motivate, and even without trying, encourage you to get in touch with the person you really are at the core of your being.
Mental Recovery
Tell me what ails you, and I will tell you that which you hold to most dearly.
Life is changing every moment; there are birth and death, people come and go, just as love and friendship. Even things, money, a job, and clothes come and go (my puppy, Koukla, accounts for a few pairs of heels that came… and went). While I was able to get over those beige high heels in a short matter of time, some things really can eat away at the love in your heart, leaving only a shadow of yourself behind. Okay, shadows and tough feel, Whitney – how does yoga relate?
What we are discussing, these afflictions, troubles and obstacles in Sanskrit are called Kleśas. There are five: ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred and clinging to bodily life. To deal with mental recovery for a loss, let us think momentarily about attachment or Rāga. We all want to be happy, that much is clear. We find things that make us happy; other people, our work, our image, motorcycles and cars. We also find things that make us unhappy and avoid them. What we misunderstand is that true happiness only comes from within. We already have happiness in our hearts, and need only recognize it. When we place the power to “feel” happy on outside objects or the presence of people, we set ourselves up for pain, because these things are not permanent. As we can learn to find happiness within ourselves, we will find it easier to refrain from the attachment to things we feel that we “need” to be happy. In turn, we will be able to journey across the river of loss with a sense of what once was brought me joy, and though it is gone, there is still happiness in my heart, as that is where it is solely derived. Ponder, happiness.
Addiction recovery
Mirror in the bathroom Please talk free The door is locked Just you and me
by The English Beat
Sex, drugs, alcohol, social media, self-loathing, gossiping… Many things can become addictive, and once we give our power over to an addiction, we will lose our happiness, our dreams will evade us, we will hurt those around us and worst of all, it could cost us our lives. If you are struggling with addiction, there are a million resources available to you, and we listed some help hotlines below. If you are not ready to ask for help, we would like to offer some ideas you can discuss with yourself and the mirror in the bathroom:
Yoga has 8 limbs (principles/practices), the physical posture is not number one, or even two. It is the third. For you and the mirror, we would like to share the first two. Yama (ways to live alongside others) and Niyama (ways to live alongside yourself)
The Yamas consist of non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and non-greed.
The Niyamas consist of purity, contentment, accepting but not causing pain, study of spiritual books and self-surrender.
Together these 10 principles are similar to Christian Faiths, The 10 Commandments, Jewish Faiths and even The 10 Virtues of Buddhism. Consider how the wise sages of all faiths around the world are saying similar things. Perhaps they understand something of a great magnitude worth implementing in life. These morals or ethical codes are not meant to enslave you, hold you captive or make you a sheep. They are a way of being free, sleeping peacefully, and recovering.
Eating Disorder Recovery
I myself am the Swan.
Curious as to how practicing next to slender yoga pants on bendy bodies will help you with self-acceptance? Read on. The practice of yoga is literally thousands of years old has only recently gained a foothold in Western culture. However, as it was brought over and shared with the Western masses, yoga, and all the aspects therein were cherry-picked till the physical practice was the only advocated and publicized facet. The true purpose of yoga is to become self-aware of the divine light within and, in doing so, find peace.
The physical practice of yoga is a means for allowing the body to sit comfortably in mediation. While in meditation, you can see if you’re able to sit quietly and contemplate love and your purpose in life. Some ways to quiet the mind in meditation include repeating a mantra to yourself. Melody Moore, PhD suggests the manta, “I am enough,” denoting that presently, and without change, you already are what you need to be. Interestingly enough, the yogic wisdom has a saying, “I am that” or in Sanskrit (ancient Vedic language) Soham. If you break down this Sanskrit word, you will find a beautiful idea and mantra to ponder as you navigate the waters of your recovery; “I myself am the Swan” in the Yogic philosophy, the Swan is representative of the Atman, which is the inner self, spirit, or soul.
Slowly begin to remind yourself that you are a divine spirit and soul, you will begin to recognize your body for what it allows you to do, and realize that you are the Atman within the body. A practice of yoga that addresses more than just the physical practice, including Pranayama (the study of the breath) and meditation, can be a refuge from your pain and struggle. Where hurtful habits once reigned over the day, take a pause to replace them with a loving one.
What if there is a way you can find yourself again? What if there is a way to get through barriers, struggles or pain?
With Love and Joy!
Whitney Zora Stetler, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Whitney Zora Stetler grew up in the mountains of Silver City, New Mexico, where she pursued music. She started a punk rock band in high school alongside her childhood best friend, Serena. She co-opened her first business, a coffee shop, at the age of 19. Whitney later received culinary arts degrees from The French Culinary Institute in New York City as well as Alma La Scuola Internazionale di Cucina Italiana in Parma, Italy. Whitney sharpened her love of business as the accountant for Platinum Aviation in Fort Lauderdale, and she later tackled sales and marketing in the medical field in Houston as well as Miami. Finally, Whitney was compelled by love to share the peace and wellness that her personal practice of yoga had long afforded her by earning her RYT-500. Voila! A trifecta of her favorite things: a classy cafe, yoga studio and music venue all culminated to form Cocoa Yoga Cafe. Whitney is happily married to a handsome pilot, has two precious children, an adorable dachshund, and very lofty dreams.
