Many people are intimidated by yoga if they have never tried it before, largely due to the increase in fitness style yoga and the inundation of images of thin people practicing “perfect pose” yoga. Fitness yoga is a valid choice for some, but yoga is also so much more. Yoga can be for anyBODY regardless of body type, age, or medical history.
Therapeutic yoga is designed for physical, mental, and emotional health of the participants. Poses are carefully chosen to target certain areas of the body, not for the appearance of the positioning of the body. In fact, there are multiple variations of the pose that can target the same area, although they can look quite different. Safety and comfort are important factors when choosing the positioning of your body during the pose. You should be able to relax while feeling the sensation in the target area and not feel pain or discomfort. Remember to honor your medical history while practicing yoga, especially during these times when we practice at home.
Why do people need variations of the pose? In addition to medical history, people are wonderfully created differently. Paul Grilley, a master yin yoga teacher, shows different bone variations on his website. Different bone structures are normal variations in humans, but it explains why people need to move differently to target the same area. For example, look at the different proportion of arm length in the image below. The individual on the left would need to move her body differently than the individual on the right to get her hands to touch the ground in certain poses. There is nothing wrong with this!
The picture at the beginning of the blog is showing different ankle range of motion related to the bones in the ankle. This is in part to do with soft tissue glide, but more about differences in skeletons. These differences change how the positioning impacts other joints like the knees. During our classes, variations of positioning for hands, feet, pelvis, rib cage, and head are offered for poses to help you find the target area, learn your skeleton, and remain comfortable. For example, here are some variations of shoelace in the image below. Modifications of these variations like propping with pillows or blankets may also be needed under the knees or “sits bones” for functionality and comfort to feel the target.
Not sure how to? Reach out to us for help!
Jo Phee (Yin Yoga Teacher from Japan and friend of SAM’s.)
For years, SAM Sather, a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) has been working with yoga participants with various medical histories as well as on how to safely guide participants through a carefully chosen practice based on their unique person. As a yoga therapist, SAM individualizes the practice with appropriate modifications for participants’ unique bodies and medical histories. She offers several live, online class in yoga as well as weekly recorded On Demand classes. SAM also offers private sessions so you can focus on your needs one on one.
Click on the link HERE to sign-up and go to the ‘Classes’ tab to sign-up for any sessions, including Yin Yoga, Joint Freeing Yoga, and Mindful Movement & Yoga Classes.
For the latest schedule on the website, click HERE.
On Demand Line-up for November 22nd through 30th & available for signing up:
For more information about On Demand classes, visit our website page HERE or email us at info@dogwoodstudioyoga.com.