In January of this year, I had open heart surgery to repair or replace my aortic valve. The surgery went very well, and my recovery, now more than a month in, has been relatively easeful. I will have a beautiful scar down my chest and titanium bands inside me that hold the sternum together as it heals. Even when the sternum is fully healed, the bands will remain.

Would my practice make a difference to my recovery process? I had good reason to assume so, but the truth is, I had no idea how things would play out.