YOGA
Yoga
You can book one-on-one yoga with Gillian and small group sessions (pending availability).
This can be helpful for getting started or developing your home practice.
This is billable through extended health when part of physiotherapy.
The physical (asana) aspect of yoga is the most familiar in the 'western' culture, though it is only a small piece of the traditional practice and philosophy.
The physical postures can be effective in healing from injury or pain when combined with attention and breath practices. Modern lifestyle has led to some unhealthy movement patterns such as the use of chairs, toilets and computers. Sustained and repetitive movements can add strain to the body. Getting down on the mat to wiggle and move helps reclaim vital movement patterns and boost our healing process.
Research
The research continues to build and demonstrate the benefits of yoga for pain. This 2019 meta-analysis of 10 RCT’s shows how yoga can help chronic neck pain: Yoga for neck pain.
There is also some evidence to support yoga for lower back pain and arthritis, although research continues to be challenged by the variability of yoga methods and how difficult they are to measure.
Edges
An important aspect of movement in Yoga is the way it invites us to explore our edges. Often the ‘edge’ of our stiffness or pain is much earlier in a movement than we thought. We may have been pushing past it for years adding stress to tissues or ignoring signals and therefore perpetuating a pain cycle. By slowing things down, noticing our breath patterns and inviting muscles to relax we allow the intelligence of the body to tell us what is needed to heal.
If you are interested in reading more about edge ‘play’, this old article by Joel Kramer describes it very well. You can skip to page 5 if you only want to read more about edges in the yoga practice.
Yoga as self-transformation