Can I just tell you, I am loving this wisdom quote from the founder of the Body-Mind Centering technique:

“The things that we think are the problems can be the gifts. One of the advantages I have is that my spine was paralyzed when I was a child. So I have that sense of not moving, underneath movement. It’s not a gift at the moment, but it can be. One of my philosophies is, “Don’t waste the suffering”. We do suffer. The reality is we do. All is not suffering but we all suffer and not to waste it.”
— Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen

This completely resonated with me.

As a dancer, bodyworker and plain ol’ human, every injury, physical limitation or health set-back has been a HUGE teacher, showing me how to take better care of myself, how to do something more efficiently or gracefully, and showing me more of WHO I am (and what better gift is there?).

Listen, listen, listen.

It can be such a challenge to hold or even consider this mind-frame, “Don’t waste the suffering,” WHILE you feel the suffering. But the the more you can get quiet with what ails you and listen to your body the way you would listen to a revered teacher, or the more you can look back on other times when you suffered and remember where you landed when you were released, the easier and more worth-while it can all be.

Hindsight is 20/20, and perspective is a beautiful thing.

For me, a chronically cranky, hyper-extended left knee lead me to my beloved Neuromuscular Trainer/bodyworker in NYC (Susan Hefner) and opened me up to a whole new way of looking at the body; one that played a huge role in inspiring me to become a professional bodyworker and serve all you lovely people : )

Suffering, whether of the body or mind, has the potential to teach you to slow down, unwrap a golden nugget of wisdom, become more compassionate, more patient, more loving, and guide you in how to live a richer, healthier, more fulfilling life. There are so many ways to transmute awesome suffering into awesome beauty, and I encourage you to seek support whenever you feel you want it.

What important/practical lessons or inspirations has your version of a cranky left knee given you?
With love + listening,
Helena

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