Diary of The Human Pretzel
(or, Adventures in Yoga and a Journey Towards Healthy Living. The Human Pretzel thing sounds more interesting, though...)
Ah. The joys of Yoga.
You know, I used to think that yoga was just for the skinny chicks who snacked on lettuce leaves and drank hot water with a slice of lemon in it instead of tea. Besides, I wasn't bendy, or even sporty, so what could yoga have to offer me? It had been several years since I had dismissed my mother's rants about yoga, namely: "Yoga is the work of the devil! You are inviting Satan into your body when you do yoga! You'll be possessed by a demon." My friend Dori had been doing yoga for ages and had recommended it several times, but I dismissed as "not for me". What I hadn't realised was that I was dismissing yoga using the same criteria my mother used to demonise it: I had never tried it myself.
A few years ago I was introduced to Yoga Liz, and I relayed my fears about yoga to her, leaving out the devil stuff, because I didn't believe any of that. She let me come along to a lesson free of charge, just to give it a go. AND I LOVED IT! I could not believe how wonderful I felt afterwards, and I have been going back ever since.
The benefits have been:
- greater flexibility
- pain relief in my neck and shoulder
- emotional stability and calm
- a deeper spiritual understanding
- toned muscles (yes! even under the layers of fat on a 100 kg woman! I AM FIRM)
- more energy
- better sleep (I still struggle with insomnia, but yoga helps)
I recommend that everyone try it once before they die. It's worth putting on that list. I think it has had a dramatic effect on my general well being.
Speaking of General Well Being...
I saw the physiotherapist this morning regarding the pain in my neck and shoulder. She has sent me off with a few exercises and tips on how to look after myself. She reckons the yoga has been what has prevented my neck and shoulder from freezing up because there is a good range of movement. She has recommended that I have acupuncture. ACUPUNCTURE! on the NHS! Yippee! I get acupuncture for pain management on the NHS! And what did I say RIGHT HERE that I really felt that acupuncture or shiatsu would be of great benenfit, but I didn't have the money for it? The Universe works in mysterious ways indeed. JOY JOY JOY! I have the first session on 16 April. Never had acupuncture before. She did warn me that it's not as in-depth as the holistic acupuncturist. It's purely for pain management. Which is fine, but I do think it will be important for me to find out which meridians she is working on and to cross check that and find out what blockages she may be clearing and what effects with may have in the broader sense. Unless, of course, anyone has any other thoughts on that?
I tried yoga a couple of times. I didn't hate it. But I was surprised how bloody hard it is!
ReplyDelete* : It IS surprisingly hard. I had this notion that you bend, stretch and meditate if you couldn't fold yourself into a pretzel like the advanced people seemed to do. At least you can strike that off your list of things to do if it was on there!
ReplyDeleteI love doing Yoga. Yes, it was difficult at first, but like anything else, once you get it, it is much more enjoyable. In fact, I feel like the benefits are endless. You obviously know quite a bit about Yoga, so here's my question:
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a more advanced Yoga "session", if you will. One of my business partners turned me on to a Yoga for athletes DVD - where one uses strength training and sophisticated breathing techniques that offer a high-altitude workout. It is also supposed to keep you from feeling sore post workout. The DVD is called The Rower (there's info on it at www.mindandbodyworkout.net). Is this for a 33 year old man like myself or is for true athletes?
Anon: I am flattered that you think I know a lot about yoga. I don't, actually, and I am not able to give you the advice you need. What I can say is that my yoga teacher always encourages us to work within our own pace and zone and to test that a little. I am not sure how that would help and I am sorry I can't be more useful to you.
ReplyDelete