Wallflower

Anyone know any good places for plus size yoga clothing?

Hee hee. Mute, I remember in grade school weighing a mere 47 lbs. and not being able to balance. So IMHO weight is not really a cause. However, if like me you have huge hips and narrow feet, THAT can definitely impact ability to balance, as can having too high or too low of an arch in the foot. Musculoskeletal imbalances, vestibular dysfunctions and issues in the brain (esp the cerebellum) all affect balance or lack thereof.

Most yoga instructors do not have an advanced degree such as PT, OT or MD/ND so it is not uncommon for them to advise out of ignorance. I too await Gabrielle’s informed opinion.

For myself, I got a referral to a neurologist who referred me out to PT. My intuition told me my lack of balance was deeper than just not locking my knees or focusing, and I’m glad I got it checked out.

>>I am grateful that you bring this to our attention. I am fascinated to know more about how the ataxia affects other physical positions (in or out of yoga). Is there anything else you can tell me regarding other poses? Are you OK in 2 leg balance? Just list the poses and I may have some suggestions to cope more easily (beyond using a wall!). I also assume that you have looked at the possible B12 connection.<<

Hi Gabrielle! I’m grateful you appreciate the information. Yes, balancing on 2 feet is challenging as well, but not seemingly impossible like one foot. A wider base of support makes things easier, such as in pranayama breathing and half moon, to have a little space between my feet. I do like the feel of my feet together, however, so I put up with the wobbling most days.

I also have knee pain so I don’t go down very far in awkward pose, but I do lightly touch the back wall with my bum for the 2nd and 3rd parts of the stretch for balance when I’m up on my toes. Even just the slightest touch against the wall helps (I don’t need to grip it for dear life).

My arms do not yet reach the bottoms of my foot in standing head to knee, likely due to largesse in the chest & abdominal regions. Further, my hamstrings are exceedingly tight, so stretching my hammies that early on in the sequence has resulted in a strain at the top of the muscle, just under the (right) ischial tuberosity. BUT, when they do become more flexible, my plan is to turn sideways and use the wall for balance. For example, if my left knee is locked, I would have the wall on my right. I think this might help but I still might pitch forward if I was not actively pressing into the wall.

I turn sideways against the barre/wall for standing bow and the pose after it, and for eagle I either stand against the wall or go down and just keep both hands on the floor. I don’t get onto the ball of the foot yet; it’s such a ginormous hip stretch that I can’t get down very far. But it’s one of my favorites because I feel such benefit in the stretch.

The rest of the poses are ok except for triangle pose, in which I lose balance if I turn my gaze upwards to look at my superior hand.

I do take a multivitamin but think I might just get some additional B12 and see if I notice a difference. Outside of yoga, I don’t drink, but I would fail a sobriety test because I can’t walk a straight line! 🙂

I have to use the wall for the balancing series, too (hence my screenname). I had an MRI and a PT eval and they dx’d me with “cerebellar ataxia caused by a central imbalance.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ataxia

I did some PT but it did not seem to help. There is a plausible link to celiac disease, which I know I have, so I stay away from glutinous foods, but I’ve had the central imbalance ever since I was born so I don’t think it’s going away any time soon.

I’m glad you brought this up because before my dx I got a lot of attitude from certain teachers about my need to use the wall. The studio I’m at now, all the teachers I’ve had are great, and they even have a barre against the back wall for people to use. But I hear ya – it’s very frustrating to see everyone else balancing and not be able to!