injuries & yoga practice

Oh, gee ... all that heat is medically contraindicated for me.

I can tolerate some hot Pilates once in a while.

With yoga, even with the temperature of the classes I'd started taking at the mild Hatha studio I've tolerated it better. Though I once complained to the business manager that it got too refrigerated, and "that's not middle path" I said.
I'm not quite Goldilocks-like in my preferences. Liked it about 76 degrees indoor temp. Doesn't have to be "just right" for yoga, but a little on the cool side.

I like Bikra

current weight: 200.0

207 192.75 178.5 164.25

150

I am going to take a class at the gym today. I prefer Bikram Yoga, waiting for a special.

Pounds lost: 7.0

0 6.25 12.5 18.75

25

J. Brown, FYI, teaches in Brooklyn, NY and is a student of Krishnamacharya.
Yes, he chants in Sanskrit.
But, as far as I know, his practice is not so much about alignment; and there are no dharma talks.

The practice I innovated is nearly all about alignment and very little attention to the breath.

But, then again, I am talking about #perennialadvancedbeginner level ... probably something you will retrogress back down to in a couple decades (I'm assuming you're around mid 40s or so ..)

Edited by: TINIERTINA at: 6/1/2014 (22:17)

I had given myself a really bad hip joint injury back in 2003 doing yoga. Took 6 weeks for it to heal on its own. That hip, while not particularly flexible due to internal rotation, is still the more flexible of my two hips. I didn't do much, or regular yoga between 2003 and 2007. In 2007, I did a very yoganow-ish practice (even though it was my own). Probably should have stayed with Rodney Yee in low rotation alternating with actual, dedicated cardio (even with my bad feet) using the largest muscles of the body and which leads to rapid breathing and clearing of my lungs and brain, but you just never know ... I never would have birthed my own practice or discovered J. Brown .. the antidote to the nonsense ...

My second physical injury was a little bursitis at the elbow that practically never went away fully. This was gotten at the hippie yoga studio .. the practice was mild (Hatha, in the style of the Himalayan Yoga Masters) but it was mixed-level and the teacher (I dubbed her The Cool Yogini) was ambitious ...

Looking back on a yoga practice that had been regular for 7 years, I can say that some of the worst "yoga injuries" were mental torment by various yoga teachers (but that's an entirely different issue) ... up until recently when I regained enough weight to please whom I wanted to please, as a victim of wasting syndrome due to disease I actually would have fit right in and have been tormented less ... they seem to have a soft spot for people weighing lower than their happy weight ... judging by recent run-in with The Cool Yogini .. but inconclusive with respect to the last, better-than-most yoga teacher I ever had, who taught a variation on Yogea Artflow Yoga, which is actually a yoga/modern dance fusion practice that is only beginning to, I guess, catch on around here ...

. I will never see up at that happier weight again, but I am happier by a slight degree now ...

Oh, and the 109 pounds less in my ticker is finally not a lie ... it had been something over 110 not saying ...

Edited by: TINIERTINA at: 6/1/2014 (23:41)

I have had a couple minor injuries and each time I found that the modifications I have made in my practice were exactly what I needed... my practice become much more about breath and mindfulness and less about "achieving an asana."

current weight: 20.0  over

25 12.5 0 -12.5

-25

Last August I was diagnosed with Dequervain's Tenosynovitis. It is actually a thumb injury and a lot of pain is also felt in the wrist. I learned that I got it from hand washing and wringing out my Yogitoes every day. I could not do any weight bearing work with my hands let alone have my hands bent at a 90* angle. Along with working with an occupational therapist hand specialist, I was able to continue my yoga practice using Gripitz.: www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_mes
sa
geboard_thread.asp?board=0x13x56059780

I practice Baptiste Power Vinyasa Flow which is heavy on Sun Salutations. I found with my arm taped and using Gripitz, I could painlessly do Chaturanga Dandasana, Bakasana (Crow), Tittibhasana (Firefly), Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel), and even handstand. For about 5 months I was quite well. I needed to use the Gripitz and tape my arm for yoga practice only but I thought I would heal entirely.

In mid-April, the pain reappeared big time. I am back doing OT and I will be seeing a hand specialist/orthopedist/sports medicine doctor in July. Since I restarted the OT, the pain has greatly reduced. I no longer use the Gripitz. I think they contributed to my re-injury. I noticed that my weight would often be on my little fingers and at the outer side of my hands. I also began to get pain on the inside of my good arm from the elbow shooting down my forearm.

Now I modify greatly. I use Dolphin arms whenever I can. When we do a fast flow of Sun Salutations, my inhalations and exhalations join the group. Instead of High Plank-Low Plank-Upward Dog-Downward Dog I practice Flat Back & Forward Fold. I wear a hard brace that keeps my thumb at a certain position and my wrist at a 20* angle. I'm missing out on the workout aspect but I feel like I'm able to truly practice what yoga has been about for me which includes a practice of being present through the breath. The transitions from one pose to the next have also taken on great weight. I did read the book, "Waking" by the paraplegic yoga teacher Matthew Sanford: www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/team_mes
sa
geboard_thread.asp?board=0x13x57500134 which I find myself thinking about quite a bit.

I have waffled. My almost daily yoga practice is an essential part of my life. Sustaining an ongoing injury for almost a year has affected my practice more than I had anticipated. I wanted to share with you what has been going on for me and what I have been learning. I'm sure that many of you at some point in time have had to majorly modify your practices, too. What did you learn? How were you surprised?

Edited by: PETALIA at: 6/1/2014 (20:34)