I wish I had known about Yoga for Scoliosis (YFS) when I was younger. I discovered YFS a few years ago through some online googling. I attended an event DL (Nancy Heraty) held for her students at a yoga studio in Chicago. I inadvertently crashed this delightful tea party and DL welcomed me and my friend with open arms. It was a very special experience for me, being in a room with other women who also had scoliosis and hearing their stories of finding relief through this practice of yoga. I signed up for an evaluation where DL helped me understand my curvature as well as explained the rotation that accompanied the curves. In her classes, she showed me how to modify the poses to adapt to my unique makeup. It was amazing how one small adjustment in de-rotation of my spine could result in such a powerful feeling of relief. Not that I had noticed any discomfort, but there is a magical feeling in the way you can get into poses that can open you up and allow the body to breathe so freely. It’s a little hard to describe, but based on my experience, I feel YFS should be in every curvy girl’s toolkit.
“The original context of yoga was spiritual development practices to train the body and mind to self observe and become aware of their own nature. The purposes of yoga were to cultivate discernment, awareness, self-regulation and higher consciousness in the individual.”
– David Surrenda, the founding dean of the Graduate School of Holistic Studies at John F. Kennedy University in California
Why try Yoga for Scoliosis?
I like to believe I’m no different than anyone else. That I can do the same exercises and classes as other people. But the truth is, I’m minimizing the strength within me by thinking this way. When I started practicing YFS at home, by myself, I was filled with gratitude and a little embarrassed by my own arrogance. Why was I resisting something that was designed for people like me? It’s not a matter of doing things the same way as everyone else as if doing so makes me more normal. The reality is there are poses specifically designed for body types like mine that make the journey and my practice personalized and enjoyable. I do experience a bit of intimidation when I go to more typical yoga classes. I always tell the instructor about my spinal fusion, and I feel as though I’m constantly making modifications (the reality is the modifications are due to my ridiculously tight hamstrings, more so than my fusion. I’m working on the hamstrings…) I like that my YFS practice makes me feel confident and secure because it’s all about what is right for me versus trying to push my body to do something that was created for a different body type.
Things to know about Yoga for Scoliosis
- Yoga is a journey. But what does that mean? It means wherever you are is the exact right place to begin.
- This Yoga for Scoliosis book that my yoga instructor, DL, wrote with Elise Miller is a wonderful tool for discovering the poses and sequences made for your specific curvature.
- It’s ok if you have limited range of motion. A major benefit of this practice is learning your body.
- Practicing at home on your own is where you will experience a significant amount of growth. But all the work cannot be done alone. The community aspect is an essential piece and it will be a building block component of your practice.
Setting up your home for personal practice with the YFS workbook:
- Have a full-length mirror handy. I use a full-length mirror that I have in my home. I place it on an open wall that I plan to use.
- Plan out your sequence in advance. I take pictures on my phone of the poses I want to use, I also keep the workbook nearby to reference how to get into different poses. Right now, it’s not super fluid, but picking and choosing the poses that I like is part of the fun!
- Find a place in your home that has unobstructed wall space. You’ll want enough room to lay down and use the wall, and sometimes a chair, to achieve different poses.
- Find a soft place. Use a space that has carpet, a rug or yoga mat. I find that with carpeting, I don’t feel the need to use a mat. If you are interested in practicing with a yoga mat, there are mats with a line down the center that help in finding alignment when setting yourself up in poses. I personally do not use this type of mat at home, but I did find it helpful when I went to DL’s YFS class.
In what ways have you found joy in setting up your home yoga practice? I will keep you guys posted as my practice evolves!!
“Yoga is meant to be a system of increasing awareness and decreasing disease.”
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/12/is-yoga-for-narcissists/the-purpose-of-yoga
