Yoga. It's what the Dr. ordered.
It's no secret that I suffer from chronic neck, shoulder, and back pain due to my scoliosis. There are so many other things that go hand and hand with that too....poor posture, headaches, muscle stiffness, stress, etc.
The thing with my scoliosis is that it's not bad enough to warrant any type of corrective brace or surgery (not that I would want surgery anyway!) or any other type of medical intervention. I'm left to my own devices to figure out what needs to be done to help with the pain. Over time I have learned that strengthening my core muscles through stretching and different exercises is the golden ticket to helping to alleviate my pain.
When I was in 11th grade, I started going to physical therapy 2-3 times a week after school. While there, I learned different stretches and exercises that would help build up my core muscles. I had help from physical therapist, guiding me, making sure I did everything correctly. I took accountability for myself by filling out a chart about what I did, how many times, and for how long. I really enjoyed my time spent there. It was awesome and helped so much. I felt so much better my last year of high school.
After graduating and moving to Washington, I did keep up my workouts. I took care of an elderly lady, taking her to the gym 2-3 times a week. In return, she paid for my gym membership and I worked out while she did her pool aerobics. After that chapter in my life was closed, I started a new job. I managed to keep up my workouts, despite now having to pay an expensive membership, going to the gym 2-3 times a week. All was well.
Gradually though, life got full. I became busy with new work. I moved. I got married. I moved again...twice. I had Anthony. Then Molly. Then Timothy.
I think we all know how life goes with a family and how much of ourselves we sacrifice during that journey. A regular schedule was thrown out the window and I never did put forth the time and effort I should have to really concentrate on ME. Sure I got a big Bowflex and had my seasons of doing what I was suppose to do, but I could never stick with it more than a few months.
Now a days, with the amount of time I spend hunched over the table painting, or on the computer working on photos or making up my plans or doing e-mails for all things Cub Scout related....I'm truly a hurting unit. And now I've thrown my wrists into the mix of body parts that hurt. Bummer.
Time for a change.
My doctor suggested yoga. I had never thought about it, but it makes sense, and I'm up for anything at this point. I'm not able to get out of the house to take a class, so the next best option is to get a mat, check out some movies and books from the library, and grab my yoga partners....which in my house are never in short supply!
I have to say, yoga is way easier said than done. For real. I honestly didn't think it was going to be so hard, but I was wrong. Watching the videos and reading the books, you think you can do it easy peasy exactly as shown. But no. I'm dying. And without someone who really knows what they're doing checking my form and helping me out, I'm sure 99% of the time I'm doing it wrong. With my neck, shoulders, and back the way they are....there's no way I can come close to being as perfectly positioned as I'm suppose to be. So for all those looking at and critiquing my photos, I know I'm a hot mess, hahaha! As with all things, there is a learning curve. At least I'm trying and I know with time I'll progress and my form will get better. It's a journey after all, right?
I am now officially a week into yoga. That doesn't seem like much, but it's a small victory for me! I've done it every day, with and without my little helpers by my side. Sam's been helpful too, helping me get my posture correct as much as possible when he's around to help. I feel great doing it. My muscles are sore, but from working them, which is a good kind of sore. Right now I'm just following the two movies I rented from the library which are specifically for neck, shoulder, and back pain. In time, I'll rent different movies and explore different positions. There's a lot of good positions in the book I checked out, but I find it easier to follow the videos rather than read the book and try to follow along that way.
If you have any advice or tips for me, I'm all ears. Until Timothy is in school full time, living room yoga is how it's going to go. It would be nice to get input from others who actually have a clue. I have a lot of questions....Do you do it every day? What time of day do you like to do your yoga? What kind do you do? Do you follow a certain yoga sequence each time, or just do whatever you feel like doing, continuously mixing it up? Do you watch a video or do it out of a book? How long did it take before you felt confident in your moves? What is your favorite yoga position? Do you do it more for the stress relief and relaxation, or for the core and muscle strengthening?
See...I have a lot of questions!
I hope yoga proves to be helpful to me! Wish me luck!
With love,
Mama Hauck
