Yoga

Submitted by Snapcracklepop on March 10, 2015 - 10:44am
Body: 

Hello,

Coming back from yoga today I really felt discouraged because the number of poses I was able to do in the class was pretty limited, too many obtuse angles postures. I love doing Christine's programs, but there are times I just want to be social when I exercise. Helps to make sure I actually do it!

I can't remember if I shared here that I shared Christine's yoga wisdom with the place where I practice. It created a bit of a hub bub and started a fruitful conversation. None of the teachers have changed their ways but it made them think (always a good thing) and I believe that sharing the material planted a seed.

Now, I've given the material to a different yoga instructor with the hopes of working one-on-one with her. I have trouble getting a good body sense from just a visual and the words sometimes and I think she can really help guide me, freeing me up to just feel how the pose supports me instead of my brain working hard to figure it out. I consider this another little baby step towards incorporating WW wisdom into yoga culture. It's just like the posture, slowly, but surely it just keeps coming along.

Snapcracklepop

Forum:

Aging gracefully

March 10, 2015 - 11:14am

Christine was actually recently talking about going to a yoga class, standing at the back doing her own modified poses, and getting strange looks from the rest of the participants. Even she gets a little flack out there! If I can find her post again, I will put it on here. Very interesting perspective.

Aging gracefully

March 10, 2015 - 11:40am

I couldn't find the one I was looking for, but I did come across this one:

https://www.wholewoman.com/forum/node/668

Very interesting stuff!

sylvia

March 11, 2015 - 3:35pm

the boat pose is also off limits because it compromises the pelvic organs in women.

but no way on "TUCKING" a tail bone. do no yoga pose that flattens your lumbar curve.

namaste

Sierra

March 11, 2015 - 4:42pm

I agree with wanting the social aspect of yoga. When I'm ready, I was planning to do what Christine did and stay in the back with no tucking and no obtuse angles (no tuck with chair, triangle, mountain..). Which ones did I miss? I was thinking that if I tell the instructor ahead of time that I have a hip flexor and cervical spine issue then maybe he/she would leave me alone. On the other hand, maybe I should say nothing, but I fear that the instructor may want to "help" me into the pose. I'll take a peak at Christine's post and see how she handled and/or was planning to handle it. I thought that Bikrum would be the safest because at least I'd know in advance what poses to expect.

wholewomanUK

March 12, 2015 - 6:12am

Thanks for the post. It's a question and an issue many of us have faced. I attend a weekly yoga class, where I've told my teacher the situation and how I'm dealing with it. I basically tweak certain postures. (Rome wasn't built in a day!) - and the teacher leaves me alone. I didm;t share this with the other students. Several other students have various issues which means they have to modify some of the postures so we respect that we have good reasons for modifying things.

Also after a horrible time initially with my pop - the incentive to do what's best for me outweighs my fears of what people think of me. However perhaps I'm just lucky with my group - it's not been a problem.

The bottom line is there's no way I'm going to do things I know from theory and experience, will probably do me harm. So if the class didm;t work for me, I would leave rather than compromise my health. It's too important.

Word's getting around. But not everyone will be receptive initially. It'll take time, but the time will come when this is mainstream I'm sure. I never thought yoga and meditation would become mainstream - but look at the situation now!
xxwholewomanuk

Snapcracklepop

March 12, 2015 - 8:06am

Thanks for sharing that post AG. I wish I could keep up with the anatomy and physiology of it all! I did the little experiment, having my hand on my tailbone while walking with feet pointed straight ahead and then with toes out. Very interesting to feel the stability shift.

Sylvia...every time I hear tuck your tailbone, I immediately pull up even more consciously into WW posture. There were many "tuck your tailbones" in the class I wrote about and also a lot of rounding of the back, creating an obtuse situation that I just will not do anymore.

Sierra, I didn't talk to the teacher beforehand and she approached me during practice. She started to correct me in what I was doing as a substitute for a Warrior II pose and I just whispered, "I don't really do this pose." and she let me be. I also connected with her after class. It seems like wherever I put my mat, the instructor finds me :-)

I'm celebrating with you WWUK! I also resonate with your affirmation that you'll do what's best for you, no matter what anyone thinks. I can say with certainty that I will never, ever, do Boat Pose again and I do not feel the least bit disappointed ;-)

Snapcracklepop

Snapcracklepop

March 27, 2015 - 10:14am

This week in yoga I had a lightbulb moment. I noticed that everything is pulled forward when I'm doing spinal twisting and so I have to really pay attention to my breathing BEFORE I head into a twist. For years, I imagine because my organs were all mushing back, I had a really flat front.

So...I was delighted to experience more proof that my baseline posture is improving. And, the twist felt different, definitely better :-)

wholewomanUK

March 27, 2015 - 3:46pm

Hi Snapcracklepop,
in yoga twists we were taught to exhale into twists and inhale back to centre. Practice open twists more comfortable and compatible with the WW way.
xwholewomanuk

Snapcracklepop

March 27, 2015 - 8:44pm

wholewomanUK,

I think I'm doing what you say. Before I twist I take a deep inhale and now that I've been working with the posture for a few months when I'm taking that inhale I can feel everything fill into my lower belly and then I exhale on the twist. Before the work, I'd breathe in and have no feeling of fullness on the inhale.

Before I had children my belly was almost concave and I had a tipped uterus. Also, I was an athlete and spent many years liftting weights, squatting with a barbell across my shoulders, etc...I didn't have a conscious suck and tuck thing going on, but I might as well because the outcome was the what you'd expect, prolapse.

Still befriending my goddess belly, and thought about getting that DVD, but I think I'm really needing the hips DVD instead. Some day I'll invest in that, but for now I keep working at keeping posture and FAFP. The last time I went to yoga I got there early enough to do some moves from the FAFP beginning workout before starting the session. Felt good!

Snapcracklepop

Thriving 70s

March 28, 2015 - 10:18am

I have the first three wheels postures DVDs. Do they have nicknames I don't know about????

Aging gracefully

March 28, 2015 - 11:53am

I don't know of any nicknames for the yoga DVDs. FAFP is First Aid For Prolapse which is Christine's first dvd. She then created the 3 yoga dvds, first wheel, second wheel, and third wheel.

Surviving60

March 28, 2015 - 2:42pm

Hi Thriving - you can use WWY1, WWY2 and WWY3 if you like, we'll know what you mean! - Surviving