Ongoing hip pain leads me in a new direction

I've been working hard over the past several months to let my body heal. My hip pain continued so I worked with an orthopedist and physical therapist to strengthen and stretch the area. But the pain persists (though it is sporadic and somewhat unpredictable). So the orthopedist referred me to another orthopedist, who suspects that I might have a labral tear. So the next step for me is an arthogram (the MRI where they inject you with some sort of liquid that provides "contrast" and makes things like tears more apparent). But if the MRI confirms the tear, then i need to be referred to yet another orthopedist who can fix it.

In the meantime, I've been reluctant to run or train because, since I don't know for sure what is causing the pain, I don't know if I'm going to make it worse. Plus, the original orthopedist told me to avoid it. Frustrating.

So in the meantime, I've begun pursuing something I've wanted to seriously study and practice for a while now (but haven't really had the courage or confidence to do so)...pilates and yoga.

There are studios on every block in LA. Literally. There's a yoga studio within walking distance of my home and probably 50 within a 5 mile radius. I've been sampling a few and taking a variety of classes. I'm learning to connect to my body in new ways, to strengthen and stretch my body and to simply appreciate what my body is capable of achieving. I feel invigorated, challenged and perhaps best of all, a new sense of discovery. I only wish I had started sooner (maybe I wouldn't have injured myself in the first place). I'm not sure why I didn't, except that I pictured only young, tall, thin and toned people in classes and I felt a little intimidated. Well, I was wrong (duh). At the yoga class I took yesterday, a tiny toned woman who was well over 60 years old was to my right, and a woman who must have weighed 100 pounds more than I did was to my left.

Yoga and pilates are very different but seem to provide complementary benefits. I'm enjoying the ways in which various teachers approach both the subject matter and their pupils. I'm even fascinated by how the various studios operate, are designed, are advertised, etc. No two teachers are the same and no two studios are. But I feel like I'm benefiting from visiting several and experiencing the different approaches.

So even though I'm not running marathons at the moment, I'm discovering new facets of my body and two separate but fascinating traditions (one that is thousands of years old and of which physical movements are merely a small component and one that isn't even 100 years old). I'm excited to have begun my practice in both traditions, and to have discovered new ways to enrich my life.