Back bends & listening to your body!
Back bends are a popular feature of yoga; many of us enjoy the contortionistic nature of some of the more difficult poses. But the most vital part of yoga is listening to your body and taking care not to overdo it! You can't rush flexibility, increasing flexibility takes time and it can vary from day to day.
With consistent yoga practice my kyphosis is improving (my hunchback has visibly reduced) but several years ago I was also diagnosed with spinal stenosis, read more here about spinal stenosis:
On Saturday hubby and I did a video yoga class together that featured back bends, I took care but found the moves generally doable if I took my time but one pose caused me to reassess my back bend abilities for the day!
CAMEL POSE, check out an explanation of camel pose here:
During the pose I experienced a sudden bolt of pain in my head, like an ice cream headache but 10 times more painful. It went away as soon as I stopped the pose. I did try again after a few moments but the pain returned. So I stopped!
A fundamental principle of yoga is to be comfortable and stable in poses! It is vital to remember that when you are practicing poses! If it hurts, then you are pushing too hard! To ensure you are practicing yoga carefully, find resources that help you with your individual circumstances!
Here is an interesting article about yoga for kyphosis:
Your body can change from day to day especially spinal alignment!
Yesterday doing the same Vinyasa Flow class sequence I was able to do camel pose relatively easily, but obviously on Saturday my neck/spine wasn't as able to be flexible! You have to listen to your body EVERYDAY, it is an ever changing entity.
You don't have to be able to do EVERY pose to gain benefits from yoga! And just because you managed a pose yesterday doesn't mean you will tomorrow! Extend yourself some grace! All things in time. Always look after your body, it is the only one you have!
