We’ve Got Each Other’s Backs
By Theresa Shay
“I think I’m wound up about this presentation,” I explained as she turned left onto another winding Kentucky road. “I have all these slides for the power point. I’m much more prepared than when I presented last year. I have more knowledge and better information. But you know what?” I turned from the passenger’s seat to face her. “I don’t know anyone in this group who has scoliosis and wants to hear this. Last year at least there were a few people in the room who had scoliosis. This year I’m teaching into a vacuum.”
She glanced my way. “Well, I have scoliosis.” My eyebrows shot up. “And I want to hear your presentation.”
My jaw dropped all the way to my collarbones. “What do you mean? YOU have scoliosis?” I mind jumped into action. “How did I not know this? How long have I known you – 10 years? 15? You mean we did yoga in person for all those years and I never noticed scoliosis? Did you tell me and I forgot? How is this possible?” I paused for a breath. “I can’t believe this, in a good way!”
She explained that in her professional career as a dancer, she’d needed x rays at some point, and the doctor had told her then that she had scoliosis. She hadn’t thought much of it and hadn’t done anything to address it. Meanwhile, tightness was developing in her upper back which was starting to give her pain.
“Well, then,” I declared, “I’m giving this presentation for you!” The spark ignited and I was eager for the afternoon.
When we arrived at SoHum, we took a moment to look at her standing. Right away, I saw the uneven shoulders and prominence on one side of the back, hallmarks of scoliosis. I asked if she’d be willing to be a demonstrator during the presentation to show the others a second example of a body with a curvy spine. She happily agreed.
When it was time to explain the asymmetry that accompanies scoliosis, she came up to join me at the front.
“Here you can see that we both have the dropped right shoulder,” I began. “Now look at the hips,” I instructed. “Perhaps they shift to the side and appear closer to the arm. Also, sometimes the body leans to one side. Does it look like we’re going to tip over?”
Someone from the group stood up. “If you’re looking at bodies, you can look at mine too.” He walked to the front of the room and stood in our lineup. For the second time that day my jaw dropped. I’ve known this man for years, but I never looked at him and noticed scoliosis. Nevertheless, there we were, a trinity of scoliosis bodies in a group of 18 people, nearly 17% of the those gathered, a much greater percentage than the statistical 2-3% said to have scoliosis.
Now with three examples, I continued with my presentation about characteristics visible in a body with scoliosis, accentuating that you often have to be looking for scoliosis to notice it.
Someone rustled and stood up. She walked to the front of the room and became the fourth demonstrator. Now the whole room was laughing. With my three friends next to me, I no longer felt like the exception. I actually wondered if someone in the audience was wishing they had scoliosis so they could join our beautiful group. A wave of compassion washed over me for my friends who live with the imbalances of asymmetry and the accompanying twisting, tugging, torquing and torsioning.
Next compassion rolled in for myself, the person who had been adamant for more than a year that she didn’t want to just teach people who have scoliosis, that she didn’t want to be known for this, that she didn’t want to have to go find people with scoliosis.
Turns out, the people with scoliosis have been with me all along. They are near and dear to me, and there are far more of them already here than I ever imagined. Rather than resisting, now I am eager to share how what I’ve found helps me.
I relax into the sweet knowing that we’ve got each other’s backs.
Theresa Shay is the founding director of TriYoga of Central Pennsylvania, where she teaches weekly yoga and meditation online and trains others to teach TriYoga®. Each week, she shares wisdom cultivated from decades of TriYoga study and practice.
Learn more about her here. Theresa can be reached at Theresa@PennsylvaniaYoga.com. Find her on Instagram @theresa_of_triyoga for more inspiration and light.