Thursday 29 January 2009

Putting it all together

I have looked at various modifications of classical yoga postures for scoliosis and fibromyalgia over the last few months and now I think it's time to put it all together into a sequence.

The following sequence is suitable for whatever time of day you like to practice. It is a slow, gentle sequence focussing on drawing in and retaining energy and working on lift and alignment. It should take about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Begin lying down - knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip width apart. Bring the arms onto the floor beside you, away from the body with the palms up then bend the elbows and allow the palms to rest on the lower ribs being aware of their movement as you breath. Take some time to let go and connect with your breath. Be aware of your alignment and allow the shoulderblades and lower back to sink into the floor.

When you are ready as you inhale bring the arms out to the sides again, straightening the elbows, opening out the chest. As you exhale bend the elbows again and draw the palms back to the low ribs. Continue for as many breaths as feels good for you, visualising yourself drawing energy in on the inhale and sealing that energy in on the exhale.

Stretch the arms out to shoulder height along the floor with the palms facing up for supine twists - 3 dynamically to each side and then holding for 3 breaths to each side. I would recommend to people with scoliosis not to turn the head and just concentrate on the spinal twist and the breath.

Come up to sitting back on the heels and take 3-5 rounds of modified surya namaskar as described in my post of 20th Jan 09.

Come to standing and take the Virabhadrasana 1 sequence as described in my post of 13 Jan 09.

Take 3-5 repetitions of modified Uttanasana (see post of 10 Sept 08) to release the lower back and then return to sitting on the heels.

Take one repetition of modified Surya Namaska - this time holding the down dog for 5-10 breaths, thinking about maintaining length and releasing the back and shoulders.

Finish sitting, either cross legged or kneeling, whichever is more comfortable for you. Place the palms on the lower ribs once again. As you inhale stretch the arms out to the sides visualising yourself drawing in energy, as you exhale return the palms to the low ribs once again and visualise yourself sealing that energy in. Repeat for 5-10 breaths.

Finish by sitting in stillness for a while, listening to the rhythms of the breath and body.

When you are ready bring the hands into namaste infront of the heart centre and bow the head - aknowledging without judgement how you feel right now.

When you are ready, open the eyes and enjoy the rest of your day!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hola

I have corrected Scoliosis, surgery in 1989 for a 76ยบ right Thoracic curve, now I have a Harrington Rod from T5 to L1

I have always enjoyed Yoga and just before Christmas I tried Pilates, I had many benefits from that also

I would highly recommend that anyone who has Scoliosis, surgery or not should continue on a journey of exercise and body toning

I will add you to my list of blogs, my members may also find it useful :)

Take care and have a great weekend

Simone

Rachel said...

Hola

Do add me if you like, I'd like to share this with as many people as poss!

Rachel

Anonymous said...

I think it's excellent that you're using yoga in a postive way to address the challenges of scoliosis - and that you're sharing this information with others. People must understand that scoliosis screening is important, especially during adolescence, and that treatment options are available. I am with a physical therapy clinic that provides an exercise-based scoliosis treatment approach. It’s called the Schroth method and it’s been used successfully across Europe for decades, but it has only recently become available in the US (some of our PTs went to Germany for certification!) Families travel from many states to see us. Our physical therapy focusses mostly on slowing curve progression, with additional goals to improve posture, breathing and self-esteem. Some patients have scheduled surgery, then tried this approach - and subsequently avoided spinal fusion. For some, we’ve exceeded our goals by achieving curve reduction. Read an article published recently in Rehab Management magazine: http://www.rehabpub.com/news/2008-12-15_02.asp More about our program at Spinal Dynamics Web site: http://www.sdwpt.com/services/scoliosis.php