What does it mean to tame something?
And why staying healthy is not only about WHAT you do but HOW you do it.
There are some words that have slightly different connotations in different languages. This is the case of the verb ‘to tame’. I think in English, it is associated with control and force. But in French ‘apprivoiser’ refers to something more gentle.
The Little Prince and the Fox
There is a scene in The Little Prince that explains it clearly.
If you’ve read this amazing book, you might remember that the prince meets a fox in the desert. And the fox asks the little prince to tame him. The prince doesn’t understand: what does taming mean? The fox explains: to tame is to create a bond. When the prince asks what he should do to tame him, the fox replies:
“You must be very patient. First you will sit down at a little distance from me, like that, in the grass. I shall watch you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are a source of misunderstandings. But every day, you can sit a little closer to me…”
You can only tame something by showing up. With patience. With curiosity. A little closer, each day.
The dream
Three months before I was officially diagnosed with MS, I had a vivid dream.
I was walking through a quiet neighbourhood when I felt drawn towards a house I didn’t recognise. Steps led down to a small, bare garden, and a garage. I went inside, and there she was. An enormous female walrus. Her head nearly touched the ceiling. Her vast body moved like a slow wave. She looked at me through long lashes, calm and kind. And she gave me a riddle to solve. I woke up. I couldn’t remember the riddle but I knew that the dream mattered. I didn’t know exactly how or why. I just trusted that feeling.
As I tried to understand the dream, I realised that if I was asked to choose an animal to represent MS, I would choose a walrus. It is big, slow moving, not deadly but huge!
It took me a few years to understand what the walrus in my dream was asking of me. She was asking to be tamed.
What taming really looks like
For a long time after my diagnosis, I fought my body. I pushed through fatigue. I ignored signals. I tried to perform my way back to health.
It didn’t work.
What eventually worked was listening to my body. But not just listening… learning from it, adapting my approach, trying new things. Asking what my body needed, rather than telling it what it should do.
This is what taming looks like in real life. Patience, presence, and an honest willingness to listen and adapt.
Why I’m sharing this now
I still teach yoga, ‘despite’ living with MS for over 25 years. I still run - albeit not very fast - and looking at the next challenge. I share that not to impress you, but because for most of my life I believed my body was the obstacle: something to manage or ‘conquer’.
I now know that this was the wrong approach. Taming was the right one.
Next month, I turn 60, and on my birthday, I want to offer you a little present: a free 7-day experience. One practice a day (movement, breath, strength, rest, stillness). No special fitness level required. Just a willingness to show up and tame your body.
More details coming very soon!
Much love,
Véronique
PS: If you’d like to check my book, you can download a free sample or share it with your friends…