The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Injuries › Worse than I thought : (
The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Injuries › Worse than I thought : (
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It appears that I have really put myself out of alignment doing the hot yoga in my room.
I saw my chiropractor yesterday and I was so tight she old not even adjust me. She said my back was way out of alignment.
I took a hot bath last naught and did some stretches last light that adjust my back. But when I tried to see what modification I could do in any of the forward bending poses, pain shot own my leg.
I have not been this flared up in years and I am really upset.
I was doing great in my classes in the studio. Barely a problem with my back. Now, since so many poses are forward bends, I am debating whether or not to go for awhile. My chiro said no forward bends till I get this managed.
Even standing on the leg that is affected, like in tree pose or balancing stick, standing bow, seem to aggravate. Oh yes and the floor pose where you have your knee bent, foot in toward your groin and other leg straight, you put your head on your knee and then they to straighten the leg to the floor, forget it, no can do.
I wonder if I should just go to class with all these limits now and lie down and breathe and meditate when poses are done that I cannot do? or just do small walks ( walking even aggravates because Of being out of alignment.) going to class would really challenge my ego so it could be good. I like to be able to keep up in class. i like to look like I am able to do all the poses pretty well. now I cannot.
Luckily, I do not have a teacher who does not make you do anything but stay in the room! She respects where people are in their practice. I would never go to a class where the teacher just barks commands and demands that you do what they say. If that were the only studio around, I would have to hold my ground with the teacher. I would also send them to Gabrielle’s website!!!
I had gotten my self in great shape from years of slowly working my way to be able to do what I could do and now I am afraid I will lose it by having to baby my back again. Hopefully this flare up will resolve quickly, but it really feels like it is bad and in my experience, it takes awhile for these injuries to heal.plus I am older now. : (
I am so upset. >:-(
I know true yoga is about being with what is in the moment, but this is really hard. I was severely depressed at 30 with back issues, etc. out of shape. It took me 18 years of hard work to get myself to being this strong. I have other health issues that make life difficult. Being strong at least made them more doable. I am working on that with a naturopathic doctor too. It is just hard because my job is very physical ( I am a hairdresser) when I feel yucky, it is difficult to be cheery for my clients. I cannot afford my body to be sick!
I hope younger practioners or anyone can use my experience here as a lesson and remember that yoga is not so much about doing the perfect posture. It is body, mind and spirit. Respecting where you are at, being gentle with setbacks but not giving up. Kind of like life. Thanks for letting me vent here. I just need some support to not give up.:-S
I’m so sorry, you sound pretty dejected with this injury!
I’ve had a few injuries throughout my yoga practice, and I have to say that getting back into the room and modifying the postures as necessary was what ended up healing me. With a neck injury, I could barely have my arm over my head, which impacted a whole LOT of postures. But I knew with gentle effort, heat, and time, it would improve. And of course it did. I just set up on the back row where my modifications wouldn’t be as distracting to others, and of course talked with my instructor about the injury and what postures I would need to change.
I also tried therapeutic massage and various creams, but I’m not sure how much of those helped. The yoga certainly did.
Try not to get too discouraged. You obviously have put a lot of work into becoming as strong as you are. That should help you in the recovery, assuming you can let your mind accept that sometimes in life, we do get injured, and we can learn from it and move on.
Namaste.
-Kristin
Thank you Kristin. I so appreciate your understanding! 🙂
I too have a neck injury and I cannot bend It backward at all. I modify too.
I have a plan to keep going to class and do what I can. You are so right, people get injuries and it is a part of life. I unfortunately have been ill with some sickness or injury most of my life and it has really affected my ability to create an adequate income doing what I do ( hairdresser) or participate in relationships fully.
Alas, I keep trying to get better and I will never give up trying or having hope for better health.
This really is a mental practice first and foremost for me!
Yes, as a hair dresser I would guess that you are prone to a lot of muscle tension from standing and working with your arms/hands all day.
Of course it will be important to understand how you injured you neck (if you don’t already know) so you can avoid that in the future. For me, it was just being stupid in coming out of a posture (fixed firm) and my entire neck froze up. Gabrielle helped me problem solve the source of it and I haven’t had a problem since. But it took a month or more before I was back to normal postures.
I think living with chronic illness/injury can color your self-perception. I’m glad part of your perception is “strength”, and applaud your stamina to keep doing what is good for your physical and mental health.
Thank you Kristen 🙂
I hurt my neck by having whip lash twice, Years and years ago. But maybe bikrim can fix it. We will see!
Hi Paula and Kristen
You’ve been having a fine old conversation! Thank you for your care and great contributions Kristen! Always appreciated!
Paula, can I be so bold to ask if you have my book? If you do I can point you to pages that have many answers to your problems. Now, this is not intended to be a shameless ad, but I would like to let you know that Hot Yoga MasterClass is available on Amazon in paperback only since December 2012 and it is very much more affordable! than the big hardcover spiral bound deluxe edition that has been in circulation since 2008. If you don’t, don’t worry, I will still help you! 😆
You need a way to enter into forward bend poses so that you can work the pose at its destination, without damaging yourself on the way in or out, and then fully participate in the pose to get all the healing you deserve and so desire!
Unless there is a lot more to your story that we are yet to uncover I am POSITIVE we can get you where you need to be.
In the meantime I have some homework for you. You see, you gave me some hints in your posts that tell me that your technique is letting you down, you may not have been taught correctly, and although your teacher is understanding it is possible that some things are being missed that will help you.
So, please go and take a look at my free videos and blogs. Although I am positive that all the free content will give you something to work with, the ones I want you to start with are: Opening Up Your Hamstrings With Hot Yoga and Flatten Your Tummy And Strengthen Your Back.
The Hamstrings one will give you a major key to help you in many poses. More than most realise. I will help you with that when the time comes. The Tummy/Back one will help you build your core strength easily and very quickly. It is possible that you are having trouble activating your core for your poses, if I am reading your posts correctly. If that’s not the case, that exercise is something you will love in any case. 😉
There are things to do for your neck but let’s take one step at a time.
You have some homework to do!
Oh, oh, oh, just realised I need to tell you that at anytime you need relief for your back you can get on the floor and do a child’s pose. Toes together, knees apart, sit on heels, hands under shoulders then walk the hands forward and out to get beautiful traction in the spine from fingers to hips. Do this in class. And I do think that you should be skipping sit-ups until we sort out some major big chunks for you.
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Hi Gabrielle~
Wow, you are really so helpful!! I feel very lucky yo have found you and your site. You are really on a mission to help hot yogis and yoginis. Customer service does not get much better.
I don’t have your book and I know I should. It is great that you have it on amazon now. It is on my wish list. Even at that amazing price, I am afraid it is out of my budget range range now. I may be able to swing it next week or the week after as my hair business looks pretty good for the next couple weeks. As you know being a business owner, you must budget accordingly!
I did get the ball to do the ab exercise on and have started that. Yeah! My abs seem fairly strong and able to do them without too much effort, but I am sure I am getting more strengthening from them. I will watch the video again. I think you showed how to make it more challenging in it.
I will check out the hamstring thing too.
Normally I do lots of hamstring stretching, but I am always interested in your knowledge about the body.As far as I know my neck is bad from 2 whiplashes and my low back started with falling off a horse barrel racing in 5 th grade. I landed on my left buttock. Years later at thirty after worrking on a cement floor in a very disorganized and maddening hair salon, pain shot down my left buttock into my calf. My
Now my fatherhood has spinal stenosis, I wonder if it is hereditary. In any case, I do believe in yoga and the bodies ability to heal. As long as I show up and gently get back into it. I know I can improve and be strong and fit.
Thank you for helping me get there, you are my Yoga Angel!
🙂
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