My life changed forever after an accident – but this exercise got me walking again

I was just living moment-to-moment and dealing with each phase, slowly and determinedly getting myself back to fitness. But once I was off crutches and starting to swim, I realised I was quite traumatised. The accident, surgery and rehabilitation had left me drained and depressed. As it became clear how much my life had changed, I seriously lost my mojo.

I had always been a very active person, riding motorbikes and hiking in mountains.

Once I could walk, I went running to build strength, but a half-marathon proved too much – I started getting problems with the foot again. The consultant said no more marathons and my confidence took another knock. 

That’s when I started doing yoga intensively, four or five classes a week, with my old teacher. It felt good to be back on the yoga mat – a familiar place, where I felt calm, doing moves that I knew and trusted. Over time I saw a change in what my foot could do. Yoga gave me back much of the strength, flexibility and movement that I’d lost. Gradually my confidence returned, and I felt like I’d come back to myself. 

Your perspective shifts when something so life-changing happens. Lying in bed for all those weeks after the accident, wondering whether I’d be able to hike mountains like before, whether I’d even walk OK, facing all those worries about how my post-injury life might be different, left me determined that the accident wasn’t going to define who I was in the future. 

I wasn’t going to be somebody who couldn’t live my life how I wanted. So, when I eventually trained to be a yoga teacher, I didn’t let my life-long fear of exams stand in my way – and now fully qualified, I love sharing the power of yoga in my classes and on my retreats.

My foot will never be ‘normal’ again. It needs regular exercise, otherwise I get pain, especially if I sit still too much. There’s a constant throb and the bones and nerves sit differently than before, so I’m always moving my toes and flexing my foot. But thanks to daily yoga my foot is so much stronger than it could have been. I know it’s now as good as it’s going to be, and I can’t ever see myself stopping doing yoga – if I did it would just stiffen up, as would I! 

Sadly, I’ve had to give up certain things. I don’t ride my motorbike anymore and I can’t run. I’ve just had to accept I can’t do everything I could do, but I can still live a lovely life. Yoga has really added to that, giving me opportunities I never thought I would have. It’s given me the stability and strength to tackle whatever I may face in the future. 

As told to Marina Gask

Four yoga moves to improve mobility and balance 

Warrior 3 “Virabhadrasana III’

Benefits: The small muscles of the feet and ankles are worked to maintain balance and stability in the standing leg.