Healing rarely follows a straight line. It moves in cycles, with moments of stillness, release, and quiet return. For yoga teacher Sibel Kartal, recovery after a car accident unfolded learning to slow down rather than use force. Through yoga, breath, and time, she learned how to reconnect with her body, restore trust, and find calm within uncertainty.
Learning to Heal Slowly
There is something about the ocean that mirrors recovery so beautifully. The way waves rise and fall, the way the tide pulls back only to return again. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is forced. My own healing journey followed that same rhythm.
Yoga became the place where I could breathe again. A space that allowed me to soften, rebuild trust in my body, and reconnect with myself after my car accident. Recovery for me was not only physical. It was mental, emotional, energetic. It was learning how to live in my body again after losing muscle, living with chronic pain, and feeling deeply disconnected from myself.
Practicing at the beach became symbolic. The sound of the waves helped regulate my breath. The horizon reminded me that healing expands slowly. And yoga taught me presence, acceptance, and patience, qualities I had forgotten I needed.
Over time, these quiet moments of stillness guided me toward a deeper path. I chose to complete a Yin Yoga teacher training so I could not only support my own healing, but also help others find their own sense of calm.
Yoga as a Support System
What I love most about yoga is that it meets you exactly where you are, just like the shoreline meeting your feet. There is nothing to force, nothing to achieve, and no expectations to meet. You simply arrive.
During recovery, this matters more than anything.
For some, recovery looks like gentle stretching.
For others, it is breath awareness.
Sometimes, it is lying on your mat, listening to the waves, and allowing your nervous system to settle.
After injury or prolonged stress, the body often shifts into protection mode. Slow breath and mindful movement signal safety to the nervous system. And safety is what allows healing to unfold, both physically and emotionally.
In every practice, I could feel my body saying,
“You are allowed to relax now.”
Practices During Recovery
During my recovery, I learned that healing doesn’t require intensity but intention, gentleness and patience. These practices became the foundation of my journey:
Yin Yoga
Yin became my safe space. Long, supported holds allowed my body to release without force. Using bolsters, blocks and blankets, I could soften deeply while still feeling stable. It helped release tension in my lower back and hips, where I carried the most stress.
Breath Awareness
Breathwork was one of the most powerful tools for my nervous system. Simply noticing my breath and slowly lengthening my exhale, signaled to my body that it was safe. Breathing in the rhythm of the ocean, inhale as the wave rises and exhale as it returns, became a grounding ritual during my practice.
Gentle Asana
These soft, accessible movements helped me reconnect with my body without triggering pain. My go-to gentle asana included:
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Cat-Cow: to gently mobilize the spine
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Supported Child’s Pose: with a bolster to release the lower back
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Reclining butterfly: to open the hips and relax the nervous system
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Reclining Twists: to release tension in the lower back
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Supported open bridge, with a block to gently open the chest and spine
Each of these poses allowed me to move and stretch safely, rebuild strength and restore trust in my body without pushing it.
Crystal Sound Healing
Sound healing became an unexpected but powerful part of my recovery. The vibrations helped me drop into deeper relaxation and supported the release of emotional tension. What started as a healing tool for myself eventually became something I now share with others in my classes.
The combination of sound, breath and slow movement created space in my body and mind that I hadn’t felt in a long time.
What to Avoid During Recovery
The hardest lesson was slowing down.
I avoided:
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Strong flows
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Deep backbends
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Anything that triggered pain
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The temptation to “perform” or return to my old strength too quickly
Healing became safer when I listened instead of pushed.
And when I allowed progress to feel natural, like the tide returning on its own time.
Mindset: Letting Go of the “Old Practice”
Letting go of who I was before the accident was emotional. It felt like losing an old identity. But yoga also showed me that healing is transformation.
There is beauty in adapting. There is peace in accepting the present moment.
And there is strength in honoring the body you have today, not the one you used to have.
Reflections
Slow practices are a gift, a reminder that healing doesn’t need force, only presence.
Just like the ocean, recovery is always moving, evolving and returning.
Healing is not linear. Some days are calm seas; others are stormy tides.
Yoga holds space for them all.
A mantra that supported me deeply:
“Like the waves, I rise and fall and always return.”
Connect with Sibel
Sibel Kartal is a certified Yin Yoga and Barre Pilates teacher based in the Netherlands. Her journey into yoga began through a search for balance and healing, which now shapes the foundation of her teaching. She offers Yin Yoga and sound healing classes that focus on relaxation, restoring balance and reconnecting mind and body.
Connect with her on Instagram: @sibelkartal_ and @studiomanifestofficial
