Body unbalanced for yoga

[Yoga fighter]

Body unbalanced for yoga

Hi this is Bill again. I’ve been reading here but not posting. I like your discourse. It’s been 4 months since I started yoga and I wanted to give you and update.

I have been in contact with a MBF practitioner (link below). He thinks that my body is out of alignment and that going to yoga classes is actually building strength on an unbalanced frame. He wants me not to do yoga until my body is better balanced. Basically, classes are designed for the group and not the individual. If I was to do yoga, he thinks I should do it privately with someone who understands my specific muscle imbalances.

I have followed his advice but I really miss the spiritual side of yoga practice.

He says I will be able to go back to it soon after my body has become better aligned.

I was wondering if anybody has ever heard of this.

Solution4Pain.com - Live, Work, and Play a Pain Free Life!

list of exercises

Solution4Pain.com - Videos

Some of these exercises are yoga poses I know.

Thanks

[Hubert]

That's why I do not follow my local (and only) yoga class. Becasue they just assume everyone is in good health, mostly young people go there so they might be right, but there is almost no personal relation with the instructor. They just try to make you perform the asana as it should be done, regardless your constitution. So while I realize the importance of practicing with others, I feel I am just not ready.

I did check your links, watched the videos ... if you can attain such program with a personal trainer, close guidance, than you do that, it will help a lot. Some of the exercises I do them myself, some on my physiotherapist's recommandation, some just because I feel they are good to me.

If you practice alone, it is very important not to follow asanas, or exercises what you think will help you. Do what you feel it really helps and feels good.

[sarahy]

hmmmmm...is there any way you can get a second opinion? i think everyone's body is out of alignment to a certain extent; we all have imbalances due to the work/play we do. i am hyperflexive and 'hang' in my joints rather than my muscles distributing the weight correctly and balancing. this has caused misalignment and subsequent pain.

i dabbled in yoga for years and i can understand the impression that classes are not built for you specifically. i now do ashtanga and, though some postures push my current limits and i am sore afterwards, i have been told by my physio (who has also been doing yoga for 20 years) not to skip any postures in the series as they all contribute to the whole. so yes, my neck is out of alignment, but i shouldn't skip shoulderstand and headstand because those are the postures that strenghten the muscles in the area where i'm having problems. i constantly ask my physio if i'm doing long-term damage but she insists not. this is, of course, her opinion about my situation.

perhaps it's the type of yoga you are doing. i would recommend getting a private yoga instructor to help you define your issues and suggest the areas you should work on, but i can't say i would give up the regular practice completely, only do it incorporating suggestions from the private instructor. if you recieve a benefit from the classes, even if it's not in the expected area i think it's still useful and positive toward your recovery.

[Yoga fighter]

Thanks for the replies. As part of my program I walk 30 min a day and do obstacle courses on playground play structures. Any natural body movements are ok. (swimming, dancing, playing tag with kids)

He argues that humans were not designed to live the lives we currently live. Working at desks 8-10 hours per day and then going to a gym to lift weights actually weakens your designed strength.

I never realized how bad my form was with jumping jacks or how difficult snow angels could be. I knew that when I did the warrior pose, I couldn’t seem to straighten out my arms. I have been an athlete my entire life. Hockey, baseball, golf, and all the other sports I have played have created an asymmetrical frame.

The exercises he gives me are specific to my body. He thinks I’m close to having good balance. The exercises are not that fun. It’s more like medicine that doesn’t taste very good.

I miss the yoga environment. Hopefully I’ll be back soon.

[InnerAthlete]

Actually tell your practitioner, who I gather is NOT a yoga practitioner, that it is only going to a certain yoga class where one builds strength before alignment. This is NOT so in all practices. Just the one you may have chosen.

[Nichole]

Dear Yoga Fighter,
I was not familiar with MBF, but I looked at the exercise list you shared and it looks like a pretty standard list of exercises with some asana tossed in.
Your MBF practitioner is correct that group yoga, by its very nature, isn't set up to fully address your personal needs, but I don't necessarily agree that it would interfere the with the progress you are making under his program. He may be referring to a specific concern that hasn't been shared here. Overall, it seems like you are happy with the progress that you are making and happy under his direction and I think is the most important thing. Going deeper into what is working is better than spreading your efforts too thinly over too many modalities.

Originally Posted by Yoga fighter

I have followed his advice but I really miss the spiritual side of yoga practice.

I wanted to share with you what I offer to clients who are rehabing or who are unable, for various reasons, to continue their asana practice as they once had. You can make anything you do into your (sadhana) spiritual practice. You can even make washing a sink full of soapy dishes your sadhana!
The next time you begin your MBF exercises, begin by setting an intention for your session and/or offer the fruits of your work to someone or something other than yourself. For example, set an intention for healing in your body and for everyone who is struggling with their health, offer the fruits of your efforts to your child, to a friend who is sick, to the planet, whatever or whoever first pops into your mind. In your exercises, match your movements with your inhale and exhales. Inhale as you flex, exhale as you extend. An inward (or outward) smile as you rest between your exercises. Stay mindful as you move and as you rest. Breath fully into chest and belly. Finish your good work with a grateful heart and restate who is receiving the fruits of your session. You can even finish with a bow and a namaste.

Best wishes

[Yoga fighter]

Thank you Inner Athlete. My trainer does yoga with a private instructor. He wants me to hold off just a little bit more before I start again.

Nichole, Wow such great advice! I especially liked this;

“…offer the fruits of your work to someone or something other than yourself. For example, set an intention for healing in your body and for everyone who is struggling with their health, offer the fruits of your efforts to your child, to a friend who is sick, to the planet, whatever or whoever first pops into your mind.”

Being mindful of others is an important virtue.

I also liked this one; “smile as you rest between your exercises”

I should appreciate the opportunity to heal.

MBF is working. Although it’s not as fun as going to a nice yoga studio with chimes, peaceful music and friendly people.

Thanks again for the great advice.
p.s. Inner Athlete, I do Ashtanga flow. I didn't realize that there was an "structural" Yoga. After reading Nichole's web site I see there is so much to learn.

[InnerAthlete]

So noted.
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