Cassie’s Story
How one bad knee changed my life for the better.
First, a little background. I came to yoga because of an injury. I, like many women in their 40s, found old injuries making an encore appearance. I was also at a point in my life where I had made some enormous changes to achieve some other long term goals. I had not only a nagging injury, but unbelievable stress and knew I needed to start paying attention to my health. A trusted colleage, a physical therapist, recommended yoga for both my injury and my stress. I had never practiced before, I had an idea what yoga was, based on public images showing toned and young mostly women bending themselves into pretzels whilst chanting, and that was NOT something I was interested in. I didn’t understand why yoga was going to help and I tried no less than a dozen studios and suffered through unnecessary hot yoga, being encouraged to push into wheel in literally my third class ever, and fast-pased vinyasa (which actually aggravated my knee) made me feel inadequate and like I didn’t belong, which did not help my stress either. I suppose it didn’t help that I was trying studios around my work on a college campus. These studios were not designed for my failing knees or my life circumstancecs and I was certainly not their target audience. I also enjoyed nothing about the classes. I then decided it would be a good idea to do a little research to learn about the different types of yoga. Fast forward after an entire summer of having said knee in a full-leg brace after an unfortunate pivoting incident, I was even more determined to avoid this happening again. So, my search for a yoga studio began again, but this time closer to home. I also learned that I should find classes that could help strengthen my leg muscles and the muscles surrounding the knee to provide necessary support to the knee, which would minimize chances of recurring injury. I also learned a little bit about why yoga is recommended for stress and its impact on our brains and bodies beyond a “toned yoga body”. Aha! So that’s why yoga would be good for me! Now it made sense. Chanting not required.
So, what does this have to do with setting and achieving goals or work-life balance? While I never wrote my goal of avoiding surgery down as a formal wellness goal, it was important to me for a million reasons. I knew yoga was very frequently recommended for stress, but I still didn’t fully understand why. It felt like a very physical practice with things I had to learn, and I felt I just didn’t have the space to learn anything complicated. I haven’t always been consistent in my practice, but did find one class that felt right. I tried to never miss and then it became a part of my routine, just like going to work. Finding the class made all the difference in the recovery of my knee and in being able to start to set boundaries with work. I began scheduling around that class, but it took at least 6 months of consistent practice to get to that point. I have learned so much during that time and now consider things like yoga philosophy and trying to live a (sorta) yogic lifestyle. We’re all a work in progress.
Kyla, Mary, and I after Kyla’s Sunday morning class. Both Mary and I have had knee surgery and we were so proud of ourselves after this class! Kyla is just so masterful that we both feel safe and supported and have made her classes part of our surgery recovery.
In the end, I did end up needing knee surgery, but on the other knee after trotting a little too hard at the Turkey Trot. As of this writing, I’m 6 weeks post-surgery and working my way back into the studio. And the knee that started it all…she’s holding up just fine. =)
Seemingly unrelated things are just one piece of the bigger picture. In a roundabout kind of way, finding Namaste Yoga in my quest to find a yoga studio I felt welcome led me to where I am today, co-owner of the studio along with my husband Ken. Owning a yoga studio was never on my short or long-term list of goals! I’m a firm believer in the “everything happens for a reason” ethos and whilst I could have NEVER imagined being where I am 10 years ago, our paths can lead to many new opportunities.
Dr. Cassandra Barragan is a social worker, educator, and yoga teacher. Her research centers on the importance of social connections as we age and is owner of Namaste Yoga Center in Royal Oak, Michigan.
