I have been laying low this holiday season. Taking in the joys of having family home and not having much of an agenda. I have also been limited by hip pain, making it difficult to do many of the active things I love to do. So after 3 years of trying everything I can to avoid it, I have decided that 2020 is the year of acceptance and time for me to get my hip replacement.

This long journey has been one of introspection revealing beliefs and parts of myself that needed to surface.

Tools that I share in our yoga courses have helped me to work on myself with honesty, and face and address painful memories of my past. Memories that have been stored in my body for a very long time. From childhood abuse to #me too events in my life, I have looked at guilt, shame and fear.

Not only has my hip pain brought up my past, it has also been tough on my present! Tough on my ego, tough on my yoga practice, tough on my family.

It has also brought up fear of the future. Fear of aging, fear of being seen as weak, fear of not being able to take care of myself and even the fear of dying.

Yikes, no wonder I have tried denial!

Oh yes, I have gone through the 5 stages of grief a million times. My thoughts run back and forth between, denial (this isn’t really happening), depression (Why me? I mean really, I am a yoga teacher!), bargaining (maybe if could stick to that Keto diet!), anger (this really pisses me off!) and sadness (the reality of the bittersweet circle of life).

Then on a good day this whirlwind of emotions bring me to acceptance. A peaceful place where I know in my heart that every realization is freeing me a little more, everything is happening as it should and that good comes from every experience.

The good news is that this experience has also has helped me recall and draw energy from times when I acted with strength and courage. The many times in my life when I faced my fears and won. The many times that I took the path less traveled, the times that I stood up for myself and others, the times when I followed my heart and my inner guidance. There really is a lot of good news here: I am not sick, I am healthy enough to undergo this procedure. I have found a surgeon that I trust. I have a good support team ready to help. I have lots of healing tools. I have been doing gentle yoga, physical therapy and meditation all along. So, I am as ready as I’m ever going to be!

I am sure my yoga journey does not end here. Having taught yoga for over 30 years I have brought yoga into every aspect of my life. Empowering yoga practices helped me grow and thrive as a young women, opening my studio and becoming a business owner. More gentle yoga styles, such as Let It Go Yoga has taught me to surrender and accept. As I shared yoga as a teacher, I have shared a part of myself. When I became pregnant I taught Yoga for Pregnancy, while raising our children I developed Yoga for Kids and Yoga for Teens. Over the years as my body changed I created classes in Restorative Yoga, and Yoga for Pain Release. I have practiced yoga to help me through life’s happiest movements and hardest challenges. It looks like Yoga for Hip Replacement Recovery is on my agenda for 2020! I can’t wait to be on the other side of all of this where I trust that very shortly I will be able to get back to the activities I love.

Thanks for all of your love and support! Wish me well. I’ll keep you posted.

Sue Anne Parsons 500 EYT, IAYT – owner of Let It Go Yoga since 1986

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