Yoga and Prayer for Healing

I’m so grateful that I began practicing daily yoga and prayer before a tragedy hit. Having a daily habit of worship and self-care made it much easier to face a very tough family loss recently. But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, I solidified my relationship and commitment to God in the face of a tragedy years ago. When faced with a terrible loss, I didn’t even have to ask God to be by my side–He was there already, ready to offer comfort in my most critical moment of need and vulnerability. All I had to do was say thank you, and He filled my heart with hope. Don’t get me wrong, accepting God fully into my heart and my life did not immediately erase the pain I was going through, but suddenly I had a light to follow. It took nearly a year of grieving to eventually pull myself out of that darkness, but God’s light was there the entire time to give me hope, promising that a new, happier day would eventually come if only I could follow Him to get there.

When our family faced another loss recently, this time it was easier to pull through. I knew already that God was with us, that He wouldn’t abandon us, and that whatever the outcome may be, it’s all according to His plan. God will always provide a light when you need one, and anything can be overcome as long as your heart is open to seeing and following that light.

Now I’m faced with some logistical consequences of a recent surgery. Yoga post-surgery is very different from the styles I practice on a regular basis, but it’s still possible to practice. I cannot physically do a Seated Forward Bend today, so instead I’m embracing Staff Pose. I’ll eventually be able to do a Seated Forward Bend again–maybe weeks from now, maybe months–and I know not to push myself beyond discomfort, especially after a surgery. Yoga does not have to stop, it just needs to be modified. If your goal is to eventually reach a certain yoga pose, such as a Seated Forward Bend, there are always poses you can use to build up to that goal. For me, I’d love to be able to reach forward and touch my toes again, but pushing myself too hard now will only extend my recovery time and possibly hurt myself further. Staff Pose is a great intermediate step while I recover.

Staff Pose

Begin in a comfortable seated position. Take a few inhales and exhales to gather yourself and control your breathing. Once you are inhaling and exhaling deeply and fully, extend your legs in front of you. If your legs are straight, that’s great! If not, that’s perfectly okay. Sometimes Staff Pose draws attention to how tight our leg muscles are, and it can be difficult to extend the legs fully at first. If you have a pillow nearby, it can help to place the pillow beneath your knees, allowing a soft but supported bend in the legs to begin.

Once your legs are extended comfortably, inhale deeply and straighten your upper body, lengthening your spine as you draw the top of your head towards the ceiling (or towards the sky, if you’re practicing outdoors!). On the exhale, gently lower your shoulders, pulling them back slightly to open your chest.

Keeping your legs extended and your torso long, practice flexing and pointing your toes. Flex one, then the other, then try flexing and pointing them together. Observe how this changes the feelings of the muscles in your extended legs. Do you prefer a pointed or a flexed toe? What feels good for your body?

Now keep your toes flexed and take another deep inhale, finding length in your spine again. It’s easy to slip into slouching in Staff Pose, so it’s good to check in with yourself every now and then to be sure your spine is lengthened rather than crunched. Check in with your shoulders as well to be sure they are pulled back slightly to open your chest.

Gently rest your fingertips or palms on the floor beside your hips. If you want to eventually practice Floating Stick, you can add a few mini push-ups here to begin strengthening the arm muscles. Otherwise, press your palms firmly into the ground and use them to gently lengthen your torso further, finding length in your spine. Have some fun here and try raising your arms above your head or holding your hands in prayer pose. If you have flexible shoulders, you could try reverse prayer hands here, holding prayer hands behind your back. There are lots of arm variations you can try here while sitting in Staff Pose–Have fun with your arms and see what works best for your body to open your chest and shoulders.

Want to make modifications for your personal needs? Sign up for a Quick Yoga Consultation to walk through this pose and its modifications together one-on-one, or request an Individual Yoga Plan to have this routine expanded and include additional poses specific to your needs.