Extension

Extension - as in, fully extending my knee joint to 180 degrees, so that the leg is straight. So simple a task, one I could do without even paying attention back before my problems started. Once again, I am reminded of the many aspects of my own health that I take for granted.  Now extension is the main goal of my physical therapy. I place my straightened leg over a towel roll at my Achilles and endure the pressure of a heavy cold pack on my knee. This is not a comfortable position. In an effort to distract  myself from the pain I become philosophical.

Have I ever fully extended myself? I continue through my days, doing what is fun, easy, and attainable. To extend myself would be to go to that place just beyond comfort. It would involve a degree of risk to which I am unaccustomed. I may encounter pain and failure. I may not find my way back to my comfort zone. I may grow and change. I think of the turtle, who must extend his neck if he wants to go anywhere.,

In the practice of yoga, it is said that when we breathe in fully as much as we can, and then take another small breath, it is in the holding of that breath for a few seconds that we find our "yoga space," a place where we improve our practice. When we exhale fully, and then a wee bit more, and hold, we again access our yoga space where we can push ourselves to learn. We are extending our breath.

What does it mean to extend ourselves? We are extending our power, our influence, our physical strength, our services. We can extend a helping hand. We can go beyond what is required, We stretch our limits. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. Returning the world of surgical recovery, extension is the necessary pain that leads the way to return of usefulness.