For the last few weeks I’ve been dealing with a minor hip injury. It’s most likely an overuse injury from running. As much as I hate resting, I know my hip needs rest from my usual activities.

The injury has shifted my yoga practice and how I move my body. Prior to my injury I spent most mornings running on my treadmill and/or lifting weights. Now I spend most mornings doing very intentional activations for my hips, lengthening and massaging my outer hips and thighs, and I sprinkle in a little bit of strength training and walking on my treadmill.

Although my stubborn side has not loved the shift in routine, it’s been really great for me to consider new boundaries for my movement practice.

Not that being injured is awesome. But setting new boundaries has inspired me and my approach to movement.

In college, when I was studying dance, I loved my improvisation and choreography classes. I would spend hours in the dance studio exploring movement. However, sometimes the huge, open prompts of creating a dance piece felt overwhelming. I needed guidelines to give me structure and direction.

My yoga practice and the way I approach teaching is very much the same.

Although I can’t (shouldn’t) move my body in my usual ways for the time being, the boundary of being mindful of my injury has given me fuel to investigate new ways of moving my body.

Sometimes I bring a kettlebell into my yoga practice.

Sometimes I move through small, isolated movements for my hips and outer thighs to create strength around the injured area.

And sometimes I just sit and breathe because it just feels good.

When I discuss the development of a home practice with students, I regularly hear from students that it feels like an overwhelming, daunting task. I have this open opportunity to move my body and connect with my breath, but I just don’t know what to do! I get it. I’ve been there too. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the blank canvas of a home practice, I’d encourage you to create some boundaries for yourself. Think of it as a super low-stress assignment.

Do you want to feel more comfortable in your backbends? You might move in ways that help you open the front of your body and strengthen the backside.

Are you interested in working towards Handstand in your home practice? Move your body in ways that help you reach your arms overhead, strengthen your core, and establish mental focus.

I use the same process when teaching. What are my objectives for a specific class? What am I hoping students learn from my class?

These are all boundaries I regularly work with when it comes to teaching. I’m just now realizing how important they are for my own personal practice too. Although I understand that creating boundaries can feel stifling for some, you might just find that boundaries give you even more freedom and inspiration.