Owww. Ahh. Owww. Ahh.

I still <3 my physical therapist, despite him putting me through some pleasant pain I asked for.

I asked Shannon to push down really hard on my left knee while it was straight out with my ankle propped up on a bolster.

I’ve been going to PT for the patellar tendonitis in my right knee, but I always end up doing exercises for both my legs there because when the right knee feels better the left one starts to ache or get stiff.

My anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is in fine working condition after my 2005 reconstruction surgery, but it’s screwed in a little tight, so my left leg doesn’t extend as straight as my right.

But with Shannon manually pushing on it and then stretching out the iliotibial band, a small bundle of fibers that runs from the side of the hip to the knee, my left leg felt just like my right one.

And what a difference it made at yoga last night!

My balance was better. My leg didn’t wobble or shake as much. And I didn’t scream on the inside when we did the Reclining Hero Pose. (That’s when you move your heels to the outside of your hips while sitting on your knees.) The goal is to get your rear end to the floor and eventually recline.

I didn’t get my butt all the way down to the floor but I didn’t grimace in pain, I managed to relax and I sat up tall. Usually I’m hunched over and trying to put as much weight on my hands as possible with an unpleasant expression across my face.

Yoga is all about balance – not just standing-on-one-leg balance – but trying to make your body symmetrical in its strength and flexibility.

When you begin to look for that kind of balance by doing things such as forcing yourself to do poses you might not be comfortable in or stretching your weaker side more often you also become more balanced in your mind. You begin to see things more objectively and less colored by emotion.

I understand that for my body, feeling normal may just require more work than for others.

And I’ll admit that some days it’s harder to remember that. I just take it one good leg-stretching session at a time.