Pathways by SANAS: My body would like a word (with me)
- sanaswellnesslife
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Pathways, a weekly newsletter by SANAS
Exploring the Elements Within & Without
A Quick Check-In by SANAS Holistic Wellness
A brief pulse from my journey + what’s unfolding next.
(Lots of fun experiences coming up as part of the inaugural season of Holistic Happy Hour)
Care, recovery, and learning to listen to the body.
🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 From the Mat 🌕 From the Heart 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑
What Is Your Body Asking for Now?
getting older, backing off, and discovering that care is not the same as correction...
A "funny" thing happened to me over the last year: I became increasingly aware of my age.
Not so much in my mind or my heart. In those places, I still feel like a 50 year old teenager...(minus the pimples and teased hair.) Instead it has been my body that keeps reminding me that I am, in fact, living in a human form, and that this form has limitations.
This year's birthday was a rite of passage, and I am becoming more aware of the ways my body is changing. I am realizing I cannot always train the way I once did. I need more time to recover. Injuries linger longer. Some of the goals I have been working toward suddenly feel much farther away.
Honestly, this has been shockingly challenging for me to accept. A pretty big blow for my ego.
There was some part of me that believed I would magically be exempt from all of this. That if I stayed active enough, disciplined enough, or committed enough, I could somehow breeze through the aging process.
Lately though, I have had to face what I see in the mirror, and what I feel in my body with more honesty. Some days, I am not happy with what I see. Some days, rest feels less like wisdom and more like failure. Some days, modifying my training feels like giving something up.
It's becoming clear that perhaps the deeper practice is learning that I do not have to earn the right to belong here. Not at all. Not in a younger or stronger body. Nor in a body that recovers more quickly or performs exactly as I ask it to.
Nope, I have earned the right to be in THIS body, NOW.
Belonging in my own body may mean taking it easier, resting longer, training differently and rehabilitating what hurts with more patience and intelligence. Instead, choosing to listen when my body whispers, rather than waiting until it has to shout.
This season is not asking me to give up on myself. It is asking me to stop abandoning myself in pursuit of who I think I should still be.
This week’s pathway: A simple routine for more honesty
Pause before your next workout, yoga practice, or busy day.
Place one hand somewhere on the body that is asking for attention.
Notice the immediate impulse to diagnose, stretch, fix, or override.
Ask: "What do you need from me today?"
Wait for a physical answer: movement, stillness, pressure, warmth, rest, space, or support.
You don’t have to fix anything. You don’t have to force your body to soften, release, or respond in a particular way. First, just notice.
Caring for the body doesn't necessarily begin with asking it to do more. Most of the time it begins with an invitation to listen to what it has been asking of you all along.
Walk With Me: "Touch Yourself"
Listening is where care begins, AND it also helps to have practical ways to respond.
At "Touch Yourself", Danielle Olson and I will guide you through accessible self-massage techniques using massage balls and gentle pressure; practices you can continue using at home when your body asks for attention.
This isn’t about adding another wellness task to your list. It’s about building a more responsive relationship with the body that carries you through your life.
If you’ve been curious about how to care for yourself between appointments, after a workout, or at the end of a long day, this experience is for you. Come learn simple techniques you can reach for again and again.
Touch Yourself Self-Massage · Ritual · Release Friday, September 4 Doors at 5:30 p.m.
Experience 6–8 p.m.
Part woo, part wow, 100% worth it.
Weekly classes in San Juan:
Wednesdays: Sunset Hatha Flow, 6-7pm at Isla Verde Beach, (in front of Condo El Girasol) $15
Thursdays: Heated Slow Flow, 7:15-8:15pm at BodyWrk in the basement of Cobian’s Plaza, Santurce Saturdays: Essential Yin, 10–11:15am, Pahi Studio, Calle Loiza — $20 drop-in / $15 with class pack
In Closing
May you recognize the difference between the voice that asks you to push and the wisdom that asks you to listen.
Hit reply and tell me: What did your body say when you listened?
With steadiness and warmth,
Rhiannon Wynn SANAS Holistic Wellness
Follow Me
Hato Rey Norte, San Juan, Puerto Rico 5035160809
www.sanas.life
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