Hi Gabrielle (and all!)
It has been a while since I have posted. My back took a turn for the worst a year or so ago following a Yin class. I found a new chiropractor who recommended ceasing all exercise for a brief period while he set me right – my back was in an ‘acute’ state – so tight that it was like the vertebrates were fused. I returned to walking for exercise (on level ground only which translated to indoor walking programs) but I was not able to return to my beloved Yoga. Each time I attempted it my upper back would flare and it would be days of pain and Advil until it felt better.
After a year or so of treatment and massage therapy and working on some core strength I have been better. I began practicing again in the last week or two. It has meant being overly-careful and modifying to what works for my body and letting go of self-imposed pressure to perform perfectly. This means no holding my arms above my head for any longer than perhaps the length of a transition breath (chiropractor suggested no weight-bearing exercises over the head, but I found that even doing arm raises up and down during walking workouts would aggravate my neck and upper back), no twisting (even the gentlest of twists following all of yours or any teacher’s explicit instructions results in problems) and minimal back bending.
I know it sounds like I can barely do any of the postures anywhere close to the ideal and that is largely true – but I have to be OK with that and respect that this is where my body is currently if I have any hope of continuing to practice. Modification has been key. I hope and pray that this time I will be back at it for a longer stretch and gain ground enough to one day move beyond at least some of the need for such ‘cuts’ to the program. I work with Special Needs students in school and sometimes things have to be broken down into the tiniest of steps/increments in order to get them to their ultimate goals. And so it goes for me. God has blessed me with the lessons those kids teach me about perseverance. 🙂
As always your teaching style and instruction are so helpful to me and even though I have never taken a live class with you or met any of the people on this forum, I am blessed to know that there is a community of people out there I can turn to for support in this journey.
Thanks for listening!
Namaste!
Helen
