The Body You Wake Up In, The Body You Create

- Michelle in listening mode while traveling -

I spent 47 years not listening to my body. The past 9 years have been about learning how.

I consider myself lucky. My back and neck pain eventually forced me to pay attention. I reached my limit - I was done feeling uncomfortable, living in pain, and not sleeping.

While I tried treating my pain with massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic adjustments, I eventually made my way to yoga and found some relief. Not everyone finds their way there, and I don’t take that lightly. It took me years, and once I did, I understood quickly that this was a lifelong commitment. I won’t ever be able to not practice yoga and feel good in my body.

It has taken time to truly hear what my body is telling me - to notice when something is off. Feeling it for myself is very different from being told by an outside source. Listening is a skill, and like any skill, it takes practice.

When I practice yoga, I experience just how unbalanced I am. My body is stronger on one side, more flexible on the other. I work daily to build strength and mobility, but I know I’ll never be perfectly balanced. It’s like the horizon - I can see it, but I’ll never reach it, no matter how fast I move toward it.

Each day starts with movement. There’s the body I wake up in, and then there’s the body I create through movement. I move my spine - rotating, side bending, extending. I stretch my muscles, feel my calves, shake off my sleep body. I move my neck, working out the stiffness. The difference in how I feel afterward is night and day.

We are all on our own journeys, experiencing our bodies in different ways. It took me years to get where I am, and I don’t expect everyone to understand or relate. I expect criticism and rejection, and I’m always surprised - and grateful - when someone truly gets what I’m trying to say. If any of this sounds like something you want or need, I ask only that you begin. Give it a try. See if you can hear what your body is telling you.

For me, time on my yoga mat isn’t optional. It’s what helps me function in the world—physically and mentally. When I don’t practice, I feel off, like everything is moving too fast and I’m only reacting. When I do, I feel steadier, more present, and more in control. It’s not about fixing my body or making it better. It’s about staying in conversation with it. It’s a conversation I’m still learning how to have -

and one I’m committed to continuing.

mgk