Have you ever had an MRI before?  Some might find this procedure to be stressful. I found it to be quite relaxing.  It’s kind of like corpse pose, or savasana in yoga, just a lot louder and for a longer duration of staying completely still.  I pretended that my MRI was practice for my yoga practice – to stay still and not move at all for 20 minutes.  This was very challenging for me, but I did it and liked it!

I had to go in for my shoulder as I do not have full range of motion and it keeps causing me pain. I’m hoping that with the MRI, the doctor can determine what is causing my pain and if and what we can do to heal it. I’ve had to regretfully give up tennis and haven’t paddled in quite some time because of the pain these activities create for my rotator cuff, which makes me sad.  I have compensated though and found more time to volunteer, cook, do yoga, hike and to exercise in other ways.  I do not like having my movement limited at all, so this is definitely a challenge for me.

The technician that was helping me was very warm and friendly. He did a good job at making sure I was warm and comfortable and to assure me that I could get out of the donut shaped body tube with a press of the emergency button at any time. He talked to me once I was hidden away, making sure that I was okay, and then the loud noises began.  There are different frequencies of noises, so once I got used to the repetitive sounds, they would change.  I just focused on my breathing and relaxing and feeling thankful for the 20 minutes to be alone, laying down with nothing else to do.  Sometimes it’s cool to relax, even if it is for an MRI.

I had a pleasant medical experience tonight and hope the results are conclusive.

nAMaste