Jasse

I went to my chiropractor Wednesday, she just gave me massage, on the inside of my thighs who are extremely tense and gently on my back.

Just to let you know that my chiropractor went to my studio where she is also a member and she told them that I must take a pause for a month. They told her that if I need more time I can come back to them.:-)
I hope I will not inflict of the month that I am aloud to do a pause, like in the summer.

Now I will try to work on my core strength, do pilates and she will also help me with me with exercises.
I will look on the advices you sent me Gabrielle.:)

Hello all hot yoga lovers,

I am experiencing EXACTLY the same problem as Jen!

First of all, I do not know if I can post here on Jen’s post, so if not please tell me where I can, and excuse me Jen if I post here too.

Secondly, I am Swedish and I go to hot yoga class in Stockholm. I may not know all the terminology in English so excuse me if I ask a lot of questions.

I started hot yoga about a little more than a month ago, and I have gone to my chiropractor several times since then. I practice regular yoga also, once or twice a week. It was my chiropractor who recommended me to do hot yoga, she knows my back problems since years back and she also practices hot yoga. She also treats me sometimes with acupuncture.

I have a hyper-mobility in my lower back, I do not know how you say this in proper English but I hope you understand.

Camel Pose I can do easily. Then I have super stiff hips, I looked at your hip opening exercises, and after hot yoga practise it is slowly slowly getting a little bit better. In Eagle Pose I just finally managed to put my toes around my calf with one of my legs… but in Toe Stand pose I can not bend down and sit, it is too much effort for my lower back, my left leg, stiff hips etc.

On my left leg I have had an Achilles tendon rupture in 1998 and I have a weaker calf on that side. In some poses I just try to stand with a straight leg, like on the Standing Head to Knee pose, and not bend the knee and still be in balance, it is enough training for me! The knees hurt in some poses, like Fixed Firm pose, so I do them gently.

I do not have a hernia, my chiropractor tested it with several exercises last time I saw her on Tuesday this week. The back tightness that happens when I’m seated is NOT relieved when I remain seated, push my chest forward and butt out. It feels worse when I put my butt out. Since I started hot yoga I have so much pain in my lower back, sometimes it feels like I have problems to walk and sometimes the pain is very distinct (like I suppose a hernia would ache). I have taken several pain killers, now I have not gone to hot yoga for a week. I practised regular yoga this Wednesday but with bent legs all the time and not to much forward bends or the “dog stand”, and I tried not to stretch as much etc. It feels OK since then but I am still sore in my back, I feel “tired” in the lower back and sometimes I have pain. Of course now I do not dare to take my bike to work as well, I think it might aggravate my lower back problem.

My chiropractor was the one who sent me a copy of your newsletter Gabrielle. It was the one about Hernia Or Not, You Need To Know This!
Since then I do nothing else but read, look at your videos, download your pdf etc.

I even bought a smaller ball to practise core strength like you show in your video. 🙂

So now to your questions Gabrielle:

1. Can you tell me does your back hurt ON THE WAY down to the floor in Hands to Feet pose?
[em]Sometimes. My chiropractor said to me she thinks I am trying too hard, I stretch too much, I think she is right.[/em]

2. Does it hurt IN Hands to Feet pose?
[em]Yes.[/em]

3. What about your Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch pose? Same questions: ON the way to the floor? And then in the pose?
[em]More in the pose, same here I stretched too much, but now I know better and to stay with bent legs and not so wide. Sometimes it is difficult to go up and out of the pose.[/em]

4. In Standing Sep Leg Intense Stretch pose describe what you’re doing please. Where are you hands: Coming in from the SIDE or from the BACK or somewhere in between? Straight legs or bent? Arms straight or bent?
[em]Straight legs, very separated as the teacher tells us. I saw how you suggest me to do the pose on your pictures, it looks much better… but right now I do not dare to go back, I have become afraid to go to class… I cry just by writing this to you… I am so nervous about having a serious injury. I bought a 6 months card to hot yoga, since I love it so much, but now I am afraid, just afraid…
About the arms I have problems to get them around my heels or feet, sometimes I manage to put them behind my calves, sometimes I just put them straight down on the floor with bent elbows and I stretch as much as I can, it hurts…… I realize now since I looked on your pictures that all this is wrong!
I sometimes managed to almost put my head on the floor, but it is to the price that I stretch my lower back to an extent that is far too much for my back.[/em]

5. Are you attempting the sit-up? If you are what are you able to do? If not what are you doing?
[em]I am doing the sit-ups; in the beginning it was OK to do them, now it hurts, since all my problems with my back started.[/em]

6. What can you tell me about your core strength?
[em]I think it is good; I can do your ball exercise on good days without a problem. My stomach is not bulging out I think (my chiropractor asked me this since I told her about your ball exercise, she said that if by belly is bulging out when I do the exercise it might be a muscle problem and then I have to do other exercises for my belly) but right now I do not dare to do the ball exercise either to check it out, because of my back.[/em]

I just sit here and cry in front of the computer, it is sooo hard to write to you about my back problem.
I feel so worried, sad and I do not know if I can do hot yoga any more. :'(
Before I went 3 or 4 times a week, now I have not been back for a week.
I do not know what to do. Can I go back and when in that case?

Also I want to say thank you for what you do, all that I have seen so far and read is such a great source of information, it is fantastic for people like us. Yesterday I looked at your video about elbows in my back pockets, it is amazing, I tried it, I really feel a difference and I will try it more and more, I promise you.

Namaste,
Jasse (Camilla)