by Donna Farhi, co-author of Pathways to a Centered Body: Gentle Yoga Therapy for Core Stability, Healing Back Pain, and Moving with Ease. A recent collation of several back pain studies in America revealed that 8 out of every 10 Americans will have back problems at some point during their lifetimes, yet only one in ten people find out the primary cause of their pain. A further 54 percent of Americans who experience low back pain spend the majority of their workday sitting, a position that … [Read more...]
An Introduction to Dru Yoga & Why Yoga is So Good For You
by guest author and Nelson Yoga teacher, Sue Cleaver Yoga for Stress Stress is an epidemic worldwide and Kiwis don’t escape from it either. An international survey by the Regus firm found that 60 per cent of participants were experiencing more stress-related illnesses at work, such as headaches and panic attacks. A third said they were having difficulty sleeping because of work worries while forty-three per cent said family and friends had noticed they are stressed by work. On top of … [Read more...]
Mystery Solved! Why Bikram Classes Were Triggering My Back Pain
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Eureka! Since I wrote about my experiences with pain in Bikram classes, I've been mindfully watching my yoga practice, and eventually tip-toed back into the Bikram room. Here's what happened. First, some background. I've long had back issues, which you can read about here. Over the last two years, I've been going into Bikram classes pain-free, experiencing pain during class which starts at Pranayama Deep Breathing - the first postures in class, … [Read more...]
Why a Great Yoga Teacher is Sometimes Crucial to Progress Your Practice
by Kara-Leah Grant, Musings from the Mat Six weeks or so into regular Mysore-style classes with Peter Sanson and I've having some serious insights and openings - not just on the physical level, but also on the emotional, mental and energetic level. But of course - how could it be any other way? These things are all intertwined and I've known this for a very long time. Before I found Peter, I'd been searching for a yoga teacher for a decade or so, while doing a home practice and sporadically … [Read more...]
Yoga & Back Pain: Could Fear Sometimes be the Real Cause of Pain?
by Kara-Leah Grant I've had plenty of opportunities in my life to study pain, often on a daily basis. And now, based on this study and my experiences, I'm wondering: Can fear cause physical pain - like sciatic pain? Here's a rundown on why that might be: In May of 1991, when I was fifteen years old, I started experiencing sciatic pain down my left leg. Of course, I didn't know what it was, and put up with it for a few months. I noticed it was difficult to sit for extended periods of … [Read more...]