Some people get freaked out by the mere mention of the word. They think it is some weird, mystical, new age thing where you chant and meditate. So what really is yoga? It is a process of properly aligning the spine through dynamic movement, which leads to increased flexibility and strength, and less stress. There are a gazillion types of yoga…..some slow, stretching movements (Yin and Flow yoga)…..some aerobic (Power and Hot yoga). For those individuals who struggle with this due to structural limitations, health conditions, or age, t’ai chi is a great alternative. It does the same thing as yoga except it is slow and the effects are milder. Also, t’ai chi is more isometric, whereas yoga is more dynamic movement. Both involve breathing techniques and meditation. Older folks who practice t’ai chi regularly experience less incidents of falls because it builds core strength.
Check this out: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonisweet/2020/05/20/13-yoga-myths-to-stop-believing/?sh=5b65d4f15dfe
OK, so I put this off for years. I’ve heard friends talk about it, and have seen it done, but I had to make the decision to finally do it and not bow to peer pressure. You need to commit from inside to benefit from this.
- Find an instructor who will tell you in advance of assuming a position if it will not be good for certain conditions (e.g. neck, back).
- If you can’t do a position, get close and keep trying with each class. Patience is the key. You won’t become a lean, mean, limber machine overnight.
Every body is different, but for me, this was my experience as I jumped into this new regime:
- After the first week, all is well…..maybe a little sore, but a good kind of sore. New muscles waking up. Stretching fascia???
- After the second week, uh, finding new places to hurt. This can be the week of discovery: determining our weak areas and determining whether to push through it or back off. For example, after 4 classes of Downward Facing Dog, the weight of my body being transferred to my right wrist….oh my word. I’ve injured myself. Well, not really…..well, maybe….kind of. Just really stressed out those ligaments; maybe even calling it a sprain (definitely a strain). Two days of ice packs.
- Third week of classes = no “Down Dog”…..but learning to improvise! I may give it another go once I’ve strengthened that wrist area (UPDATE: After 6 months of regular yoga, I can now do “Down Dog” a few times during a session but I cannot do it multiple times in a session. Shoulders — ouch! That’s when I improvise or slip into Child’s Pose.). But on a good note, I have definitely noticed an improvement in my posture. I DO NOT WANT TO DEVELOP THE OLD LADY DOWAGER HUMP!!! There are great online resources for exercises to strengthen your posterior deltoids so I won’t repeat them here. Take-away message: Google, commit, and YES YOU CAN!
Update: After a few months….and after incorporating wrist stretches in my morning routine…..no more wrist pain! Yay!
Pigeon Pose — stretch IT band, quads
Revolved Lunge Pose — stretch sides, gluts, hamstrings
(In the above photo, notice I am not in a full lunge. That’s because I can’t….at least right now. Good example of “modify” and still get the same results.)
Tree Pose — core strength and balance
May 2024 Update
During the pandemic lockdowns of 2020, I started doing online yoga classes. I found an amazing instructor (yogi) by the name of Helen Cloots – The Floating Yoga School. Her teaching style is easy to follow and she has a large variety of classes ranging from 10 minutes to 60 minutes, and classes that focus on different areas of the body. They are free classes on YouTube. I get so much from these online classes where I am still doing them today. Here is one of them; a beginner flow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZRvdbG54H4
————————————————————–
Anyone else out there have shoulder and knee arthritis like me? This does not keep me from an activity as I’ve learned to m-o-d-i-f-y; meaning, accomplishing the same goal but with a different approach. Here are some great resources:
Shoulder pain –
http://sequencewiz.org/2014/04/09/shoulder-problems-yoga/
https://yogainternational.com/article/view/how-to-avoid-shoulder-injuries-in-chaturanga-and-plank
Knee pain –
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/knee-deep-yoga/
http://blog.gaiam.com/4-yoga-poses-mistakes-that-can-cause-knee-pain/
http://greatist.com/move/yoga-for-knee-pain-relief
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michaelle-edwards/yoga-poses_b_3943130.html
For those of you who want something a bit more challenging, Pilates would be another option. Both yoga and Pilates focus on strength and flexibility; however, Pilates works your core a bit more and also focuses on your back (yoga shoulder openers help improve your golf swing!). Someday I’ll try Pilates but right now I just can’t squeeze one more routine onto my already full plate.