I’ve been told that yoga will help my bad back. I’m not a yoga sort of person. I’ve tried classes before and I have to say that so-called calming meditation makes me tense. However, slow yoga stretches do help. I’ve signed up for another class starting in November. I’m hoping that the instructor doesn’t ring chimes and talk in a monotone.
If that class doesn’t work out, maybe I have a yogi right in my backyard?
When you have an itch, you just have to scratch it…….. :o)
Good luck with your yoga class. The right instructor for you is so important! I am blessed to have found my ‘right’ one! Yoga is helping my ‘getting older’ body keep moving.
Good Luck Terry. Have you tried Pilates? So, Lily has the Downward Dog movement down aka Lily take a bow (seen in a video) and Caper is doing the “Sideways Goat Itch.” I go to a Yoga/Pilates studio that specializes in physical therapy, I have gone to the same place since I broke my thigh bone right above the knee in 2001. I must say, it has kept me sane.
I tried pilates, and even in a private class the teacher went too fast. I liked it though – maybe will try another teacher another time.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to stretch like the goat? :-) I just googled “exercises for a bad back” and there are many sites to choose from. Some tell you which exercises to avoid. With any back pain you do not want to create pressure within or around the spine which can cause the disc to slip out or herniate. (Lifting objects is usually the culprit.) I do some back strengthening exercises in the bed while on my back. The key is moderation and continuity. Do not over work any muscle and do not over stretch any muscle. Do your evercises everyday and the accumulative effect will amaze you. Do pelvic tilts. Lay on your back with your knees bent and the soles of your feet flat on the bed. You can have a pillow under your head if you want. Slowly lift your buttocks off the bed while squeezing them together and tilt your tail bone up toward your abdomen. You will be digging you heels into the mattress as you do this. Hold for 5 seconds then release. You can do this 2 ways . Either lift your buttocks into the air or just keep them on the bed. Do as many of these as you want as long as you are not feeling pain. Count like this: one -one thousand , two- one thousand, three- one thousand etc for the 5 sec hold. If you need to do just a few to start then that is fine. You will be strenghtening your abdominal muscles, buttocks, and leg muscles. Here is a critical fact you need to know. You abdominal muscles will not support your spine in a sitting position. Only when you are lying down or standing will they do their support work. This is why it is imperative with a bad back to not sit for extended periods of time. Wear a lifting belt when you do things like pick up a sack of feed etc. You can get one on line or from a medical supply store. Also look up proper lifting techniques. I truly hope some or all of this helps you. Linda
Thanks for the ideas.
Terry, good luck. I took a yoga class several years ago too and just like you the quiet made me more tense.
Terry..I took yoga because I thought it would help me calm down from life in general…I became so obcessed with breathing right, thinking about nothing, and not being flexible enough I could not do it..and the bell ringing did me in..I wanted to jump out of my skin everytime she rang that dang bell! Glad someone else had problems with it besides me!
The last class I went to the yoga teacher ended with this accordion-type instrument. Even worse than the bell!
Yeah, goats are very flexible, aren’t they. I’ve taken yoga classes and you need to find the type that suits you. There are many types. You may want to try gentle yoga. Since you’re already signed up for one nexty month see how you like that one. I prefer pilates which strengthens the core but also works the low back and other muscle groups.
I too have a bad back (had surgery yrs ago) so I know what you are going through. You are quite active and this helps a lot. Yoga is just intense stretching w/ some breathing techniques thrown in.
Another great photo of Caper.
A very PLUMP yogi!
Ahem, well, yes….
Have you heard of Somatics? It has helped/cured? a friend of mine’s bad back.
http://www.somaticsed.com/
What’s going on in the goat barn?
All yoga teachers are different…I like one that teaches in Conord, and she is gentle, has a sense of humor, has been nown to laugh during class (more than once!), doesn’t condemn, isnt stern, and encourages modifications…and my first class, ever, assigned a homework assignment to “mindfully eat a piece of our most favorite, best, chocolate”. Yep, like her a lot!