I wish someone had told me about spending time on the mat…

Just as the wheels of a bicycle turn so does the journey through life. We travel over different terrains and have different experiences. It’s only natural then, that at different stages we seek different interests and to learn new skills.

Over the years I have enjoyed challenging myself on the sporting front. From spending many, many hours on the hockey astro turf at school and varsity, to cycling crazy hours and running. The picture sort of paints itself really, I enjoy being active – pushing my body and mind to see where my limits are.

Having had two knee operations, I have had to take a few things into consideration and while the operations where both incredibly successful they have made me more conscious of how our bodies need to be looked after. In 2010 when I had my first knee injury, I spent eight weeks with a bio kineticist who help me recover and taught me how important patience is (something that I am still not very good at when it comes to resting and recovering).  

Building off this learning roughly ten years ago, I have set an intention for 2021 to learn more about things that I have not experienced before in the world of keeping active. One of these is movement and being an active person I thought that I had a reasonably good understanding of how our bodies worked…

To put it politely, my understanding is at a very amateur level. As I learn more (I am just at the beginning of this journey) about the practices of Yoga and Pilates, I am amazed by the level of control that you can train your body to have.

If you’re looking for a convenient solution to join the movement journey, check out the classes that my friend Jemma is running – email yogawithjemma@gmail.com for all the details, you can also connect with her on Instagram.

If you’re interested to learn more about the world of yoga, the Yoga Journal is a useful place to start: https://www.yogajournal.com/pose-finder/pose-finder/ . The road of patience lies ahead and it’s one that I am sure will help to develop the other areas of my life as I continue to explore and challenge myself to move in ways that I have ignored in the past.

The I Wish Someone has been one of my favourite series over the years. These blogs are a way to pay it forward and form part of CN&CO’s belief that the world can be a better place – and we all have a responsibility to make it so.