Can I incorporate my heel lift into my practice?

Hello again Nick

When I started yoga I had a pronounced scoliosis … not severe but very obvious and one that manifested quite a difference in hip and shoulder heights.

I had reason to go to osteopaths and chiropractors too. Their advice: That I had a leg length difference. I was given an appliance to give my right heel some lift. When I went to yoga my teachers told me I was told not to do anything different and I was to do my yoga without any lift. Their reasons were based on not corrupting the series, it was not through logic or body mechanics.

I was not comfortable with their mandate at that time. So I used a small face washer and folded it and placed it between my towel and my mat and placed my heel on that part. That way I could discreetly stand with hips more even and I thought it could possibly make a difference. Those actions were based on the professional opinion that I had a leg length difference. I felt more comfortable doing it with the towel.

Still, at that time I had a suspicion that my legs may not actually be of different length but more that the way I held them facilitated different lengths. Either way, whatever was going on made a difference to my posture.

Years later, with more and more knowledge of body mechanics, the yoga poses, posture in general, the body in function and dysfunction, I have come to understand that for most people with supposed leg length differences, it is more due to functional habit than anything else.

The way you stand and weight yourself has most likely made a difference to your entire posture. There are some incredibly important things going on here. Much of this we explore in a physical sense in my workshops and trainings. I won’t go into the technical details here… but I do want to leave you with something useful to do.

I do have a video called Great Posture From The Ground Up and it explores some elements of posture that will help you.

What I would also ask you to do is to tell me if you are aware of any preference or propensity to lean more on one leg than the other when you stand still. Women are particularly prone to do this. Really stand still and notice what you do. You may not be taking most of your weight down through one leg and heel. You could actually be subtly pressing a tiny bit more weight through say, the front of your right foot.

These things can subtly shift your balance which can have a profound and drastic effect on your hips and spine as the effects radiate up the body.

So Nick, do take a little time to examine your habits and let me know… Try not to effect what you’re habitually doing (just yet). You’re trying to catch it!

Would you mind getting back to me before I launch into the possibilities for you (all good methinks)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

PS Jet lag over but I underestimated how much time the school play would take from me. I meant to get this response to you much earlier. My humble apologies.