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OPEN MIND OPEN BODY Ideas for Your Yoga Practice |
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Nursing
an Injury or Illness It's
the reality of living in a physical body in a complex world: sometimes we
hurt, and sometimes we are ill. Maybe your yoga practice has reduced the
frequency of everyday aches or illnesses, but even the most dedicated
yogis get injured or sick sometimes. Sometimes, the practice of yoga
produces an injury. A yoga injury can seem like a betrayal: How could
something so good have hurt us? Whether
you have a mild injury caused by carelessness or ambition in your yoga
practice, or are recovering from an illness that makes your regular
strenuous yoga practice seem like torture, write yourself an
individualized yoga prescription. Not
a physical therapist or doctor? Don't worry - this prescription isn't
meant to be a medical cure for what ails you; you should see your regular
health care provider for specialized guidance and treatment.. The
prescription you write for yourself should simply take into account
whatever part of your body requires some extra care, and whatever level of
energy you have at different points in the day. The idea is to encourage
yourself to redefine your yoga practice, and not to allow mild injuries or
illnesses to disrupt the flow of a daily practice. Spend some time
creatively planning your prescription, make it simple enough to follow
daily, and stick to it. Use your injury or illness as the foundation
for increased mindfulness and compassion in your practice. Sample
Prescriptions For
an illness or injury that has really wiped you out:
Split your regular practice time into two sessions. For example, to
replace 1 hour of asana practice, do 1/2 hour of meditation/savasana in
the morning, and 1/2 hour of meditation/savasana in the afternoon.
Experiment with different seated, reclining, and restorative poses. Focus
on full, deep breathing. For basic
leg injuries (i.e. twisted ankle, pulled hamstring):
Leave out standing poses, and design a seated, reclining, or backbending
practice that meets your energy level. For example, in the morning,
you could practice the lying-on-your-belly backbends (cobra, locust,
etc.), perhaps some reclining twists, and then a shoulderstand or
headstand to keep the injured leg elevated. In the evening, you
might want to take a hot bath and then gently explore the movement of the
injured part, experimenting with the range of motion and sensations.
Follow with deep breathing and savasana. For
unusual twinges that make your regular practice doable but uncomfortable:
Go at a slower pace, choose a sequence of poses that slowly engages and
opens the sensitive area, and take mental or pen-and-paper notes about
what movements increase or decrease the sensation. Explore the
biomechanics of these movements and see if you can discover the root
cause of the sensation (often, repetitive strains are due to not engaging
surrounding muscles that stabilize a pose, or
using force to go further in a pose than the muscles can comfortably
support). These
are just some suggestions - your intuition will help you design the right
prescription for your body. Take
the everyday aches and pains as reminders to treat your body with respect,
to be consistent with your practice, and to keep the creativity of your
practice alive. Continue to meet the present moment with awareness and
compassion, by attending to your body's signals. Use the practice to
reflect on whatever aspects of your life contributed to the injury or
illness. The combination of nurturance and discipline is the perfect blend
to encourage healing without punishing yourself for the inevitable ups and
downs of our physical existence. Return to Ideas for Your Yoga Practice
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