My first Chiropractic adjustment/experience!

I have been practicing yoga for approximately 12 years and have never truly enjoyed Shoulderstand.  During recent years I would say to myself and others – I have neck ‘issues’.  I really wanted to be cautious with any postures that might strain my neck or shoulders.

Initially I thought I was averse to the posture because I was not in the correct alignment and I sought out guidance about how to align my body in the posture.  Well, that didn’t help.  I still didn’t like it – at all.  So, I began to eliminate shoulderstand from my practice.

When I went to Dr. Jilian Stogniew at Awakening Chiropractic in Tilton, NH, she was not surprised with the results of my spinal x-rays.  In fact, she said it was a good thing I was cautious with my neck and that I should not practice Shoulderstand or Headstand variations that were not supported by the forearms because of degeneration at C6/C7.  Well, that certainly resonated with me!

So, about my first chiropractic adjustment – let me tell you my story about my visit with Dr. Jilian.  To start off I should say that I was one of those people who was uncertain about chiropractic services.  In the past few years my daughter started getting adjusted by a chiropractor in Asheville and she shared her wonderful experiences with me.  She also has taken my granddaughter, Sage (aka Sweetie), to be adjusted since she was born.  So, in my daughters’ words, “Mom, if Sage can do it, so can you.”

In my first appointment Jilian and her office staff had such a nice way of welcoming me by showing me around the space and explaining what would happen next.  They took x-rays and I scheduled an appointment to return in 2 days so Dr. Jilian could explain the results.  I was super psyched to view the ‘pictures’ of my spine.

Jilian explained that my cervical spine was in need of some corrective alignment as well as parts of my thorasic and lumbar spine.  After thoughtful, careful explanation of my results, she said “So, do you want to get adjusted?”  My reply – hmmm – I have some questions about how this will happen.  Can you walk me through what will happen – step…. by…. step…..?  She suggested she adjust her assistant, Angel, so I could observe and know what to expect.  As she did, I was surprised by the noise of the table and remained uncertain.

When she demonstrated the neck adjustment as Angel was sitting in the chair and I said ‘oh no, I can’t do that.’  My fear of the unknown was getting in the way of my ability to agree to services to agree to work toward healing.

In her wise, gentle way Jilian eased my mind and I agreed to be adjusted on the table, but would hold off for a few weeks for the neck adjustment.  The adjustment was fantastic…. It didn’t hurt a bit, in fact – after my second appointment I was quite euphoric as I left ‘well adjusted’.

I am a firm believer in the ability for the body to heal itself and I was unaware how chiropractic services worked.  The chiropractic adjustment makes space for the body to heal by sending the proper nerve messages to flow from the brain to the spine and out to all the organs.  Yup – that sounds good to me and with all I know about yoga and other holistic treatments, it makes perfect sense to me now.

See the picture below which informs us of the myriad of ways that chiropractic services can heal various body aches and pains!

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