Sciatica.

Hi Sammy

Finally I am here! There is much that is not handled with certain aspects of the so-called Bikram dialog. It seems that sciatica is one of the conditions that is VERY OFTEN exacerbated by Bikram yoga practitioners who learn at a script recital studio.

Your information is quite scant on detail because it doesn’t indicate what is actually going on… that’s not a problem for us because we can explore those details little by little.

What I can say is that the lack of scientific foundation or practical general yoga principles that are attached to the run of the mill Bikram teaching (for those who rely on the script as their main guide) is not good news for the student.

Too many times the answer is ‘the yoga will fix it’ or some strange pseudo-science gets quoted. If it’s a ‘simple sciatica’ then many of the techniques and tips I recommend are very very likely to fix the problem. There are also stretches that can be done in the butt and lower back area (specific stretches) that will free up the area.

I really cannot comment on the legal aspects. I am pretty certain it will come up at Teacher Training in Costa Rica this year. I look forward to hearing your views. 😉

In the meantime I am very pleased that you are very wary about the need for surgery just yet. Clearly there’s more to the situation that we could explore. So, Sammy if you need help with this particular issue then firstly let me know what it is I can answer. When you do, tell me which poses are particularly bothering you. Detail is important in your answer. (We will most likely nut out most of your problems later this year. However in the meantime I may be able to steer you towards a more effective practice right now.)

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Sammy

It’s very important to set up poses very well. The easiest thing that I can tell you to focus on at the moment is to LIFT through the chest. Focus on the stretch on the front side of the body. LIFT through the sternum, and don’t think about going back. The backbend movement happens with that frontal stretch anyway. That change in focus will help you protect yourself.

That’s a start.

There are many details that we could go into, but for now even if you’re not going to class at the moment you can do some well set up backbends. I believe you have some emails from me that would give you some good stuff to do and to focus on.

And take a look around the forum. There is much already about lower back pain and simple fixes.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂