Thinking About a Strong Foundation

At this point it had been about 4 months since my last cigarette. In my early yoga practice my coughing was pretty evident and I felt shaky and weak. Four months into it my movements and stretches felt stronger and my focus and attention felt actively grounded in breath, with very little coughing. It was both a refreshing and humbling experience to learn how to breathe again and to find a new appreciation for my breath. This was not something I planned but in hindsight it makes sense that this would be valuable within smoking cessation counselling support. I often caught myself grounding my feet and taking a deep breath periodically throughout my day – not a bad substitute for ‘going out for a ciggy’, right?!

Meanwhile, I booked an appointment with a Chiropractor to have custom orthotics made. ‘Why orthotics?’, you might ask. Well, the write-up they gave me stated that individual biomechanical deficits are reduced, while restoring a symmetrical foundation and enhancing shock-absorbing capacity. But I was sold after hearing that Stabilizing Orthotics support whole-body wellness for a lifetime, from the ground up! The way I was feeling at that point, its exactly what I needed to hear. All-in-all the entire appointment took about 20 minutes, it was quick, painless and extremely informative. When my orthotics arrived I was given a few sheets with very informative visuals about my skeletal structure – this 3D thinker was quite appreciative of that – and a booklet on how to take care of my new orthotics.

Not-so-oddly enough, I took advantage of my ceramics practice to help explore the concept of a strong and balanced foundation. The break-in period for my new orthotics was 45 days – around the same amount of time Eastern practices of wellness suggest authentic change takes place, btw – and at this point I was about 20 days into it and my mind, body and soul felt sore and tired. Through trimming the foot of recently thrown vessels, I not only thought about and visualized a strong and balanced foundation, but I was able to shape that curve with my hand and push into the clay to practice this concept as well; all guided by two supportive teacher-artists (as well as breathing guidance close to mind) and a studio full of creative women from my community. Not every attempt was successful – another mindful practice of love and compassion, it felt great to laugh at my mistakes and my attempts to correct them were the best I could do in that moment.

Closer to the end of my orthotic break-in period I felt like my throwing and trimming skills were slowly getting stronger; I could really feel myself getting grounded and centred. Not like my art-school days, but closer to something that honoured who and where I was in that moment. Being able to see, touch and experience this difference was refreshing and enjoyable. Similar to how I used to feel about smoking a cigarette… and now I was feeling this with alternative healthier habits. Needless to say, I was really excited to continue this creative journey.