I read a recent article on Back Pain & exercise with interest, both as a Yoga Teacher & as a human who knows that I need to keep 'om' moving.
With the return of some of my 'usual' Indoor teaching classes in different locations since October 2021, there has been some pretty unanimous but good-natured groaning as & when people have started to come back to class; many getting back on their mats for the first time in a looooooooooong time! Much like what happens after Christmas too Yogis - we all know that feeling đ.
Comments vary from 'Oh I'm so stiff' to 'Oh wow, I was mega tired after class last week' to 'Oh I really felt it the next day'.
YOU'RE NOT ALONE YOGIS!
It is natural & to be expected that our bodies (muscles, joints & all the rest) are going to 'feel it'; that we need to adapt & ease in, week by week, class by class; that it'll take a little while for us to get fully back into the former 'comfortable' ease that we had before stopped getting on our Yoga mats.
So stay with it!
âMoving your body & spine is essential to maintain strength in the muscles supporting the spine,â says Fiona Wilson, associate professor of physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin.
Know that you are doing yourself a power of good. There are many reasons we either first step onto our mats or keep getting on our mats:
⨠a GP or physio might have recommended Yoga to you for back, hip or shoulder issues;
⨠a mental health practitioner might have suggested adding Yoga into your self-care arsenal for letting go of stress & tension;
⨠you may have been drawn to Yoga through its spiritual roots;
⨠you may be a runner and/or cyclist & wish to help ease out tight muscles & get more pliable in those hardworking legs & stronger in your core.
⨠you may very much need & want some time out for YOURSELF, a break away from work & family life & give yourself the present of presence, of being in the 'here & now' on your mat;
My take-aways from the article in the Irish Examiner are these:
80% of adults experience back pain at some point in their lifetimes & it is the most commonly reported chronic health condition in the country.
the placebo effect of exercise is "large & a bit surprising" but nonetheless it is 'real' & EFFECTIVE. We FEEL better.
context matters - basically, choose movement that you like & will stick with. That is what is going to help your back & the rest of you the most. Don't do something that you heard you 'should'' if it is not going to be something you keep on doing. The caveat to that is, whatever movement practice you decide upon, you do need to stick with it. And keep doing it. Back pain (& other kinds of pain) donât typically just âhappenâ overnight. So the remedy is not going to be a âonce & doneâ solution either.
âIn other words, your pain will feel worse if you do nothing at all. The message remains to find an exercise that works for you & keep at it.â
So book in now & get yourself off down to Yoga at the clubhouse soon Yogis! I look forward to seeing you on your Yoga mat there very soon.
For those Yogis who can't come along indoors right now, most of the classes are recorded (with only me visible & audible,) & are available to you on the EDYI TV Channel.
Those of you on the Regular or Unlimited Class Pass options have 24/7 free access to that extensive library of classes. You can also try the EDYI TV Yogi online-only sub too, if getting to any In-Person classes is just simply not an option for you right now.
All the EDYI TV classes can also be rented on a one-off basis too. There are over 120 classes available now. Choose from 30, 45, 50 & 60 minute classes. Gentle, Yoga Espresso, Mellow Flow, Weekend Wind-Down & more.
And everyone can book into either Live Zoom or On-Demand versions of the Indoor classes too with any of the Class Passes.
KEEP ON KEEPING OM, KEEP ON MOVING... đŁđ´đ˝ââď¸đ§đ˝ââď¸đžđĽžđđźââď¸đŁđťââď¸