How Your State of Mind Can Help You Navigate Injury and Accelerate Recovery
- yamanalu
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
It's been 8 years since I last injured myself. Before that, I used to injure myself almost every year. As a young dancer, I longed for an injury-free career. After a lot of research and experimentation, I found that Qi Gong and Tai Chi gave me the stability, control, and fast reflexes that no other technique could give me.
Still, accidents happen. Last year, during one of the performances of La Chispa, I twisted my ankle while my other leg was up in the sky and my standing leg was on pointe. It's funny how these things happen in a millisecond and cause a big change. Ironic, if you're planning to do a piece on the theme of turning points.
Anyways, 3 days after the injury I had a performance in Switzerland, and one week later a performance in Dresden—in between those events, of course, teaching and rehearsing. Did I do it all? Hell yeah! Did people notice? No! I told Heiki after the performance in Switzerland, "It's easier to dance than to walk."
Of course, I went to the doctor and got an MRI super fast (thank you, German health system!), only to find that I had a partial tear in two ligaments and some other stuff. What did I do? I took it easy and worked on my mind. As Bob Proctor liked to say: "You work on the mind, let the doctor take care of the body"—just to remind us that the body is an instrument of the mind.
I also had patience with myself and listened to my body. I kept optimistic and positive. As I gained mobility, I worked on strengthening and stabilizing. By December I was jumping and back on pointe.
Looking back, I think it's the second most serious diagnosis I've received. The difference is that this time I stayed patient and positive. This has been the fastest I've recovered, and I know it's because I did not allow myself to be frustrated. I strengthened my faith and trusted in my healing power.
Those times I had to perform or simply walk to go shopping while the injury was still fresh, I leaned into a mantra I created to give me strength: Only the present moment exists. I am whole. I am complete. I am healthy now.
Ready to improve your health by working on your mind? Book a free consultation here. I'd love to learn about your current challenges and dreams.
Disclaimer: I'm not a medical professional. Always seek proper medical care for injuries. What I share here is my personal experience with the mind-body connection in recovery.
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