Have a good stretch!
MY NECK hurts each time I turn my head to the right. It’s been going on for a week and gets in the way of me doing my job. I put myself in simultaneous doctor and patient mode and diagnose that it’s a bit of wear and tear on the spine that is getting the better of me.
I decided to do something about it. X-rays showed that my bones were in pretty good shape. But after all was considered, I had tight painful neck muscles. The next day, lying on the very narrow couch of the chiropractor, I had a check of my spine, followed by much twisting, turning, and cracking, opening another dimension of my body that I had not previously explored. Doc said that my long hours of sitting and bad posture had led to the neck pain, and after his treatment, I should follow up with some massage.
Determined to get back in shape, I followed through on the massage.
TURNING POINT
The conversation with the masseuse during the half hour of work on my muscles was a turning point. I quickly realised that in my limited exercise programme, if I may call it a programme, one of the things that was missing was stretching. I was walking around with tight neck, back, and limb muscles and ligaments. Armed with that feedback and committed to having better days at my office as I saw my long list of patients, I went online looking for a good package of stretching exercises. I discovered that yoga offered a variety of stretches that could target almost every joint and muscle group, and so I put together a little programme for myself that I would do at nights.
Doing those exercises brought me to a fuller appreciation of my body and what I needed to work on. I got a view of joints and ligaments that were on their way to tightening up, and I saw where I had become a victim of gravity and bad posture.
Soon after starting this programme of what was basically stretching, I saw Yolande Small on TVJ talking about her new studio that offered hot yoga. It fitted into my programme as I would now have a teacher or coach. I started Bikram yoga with Yolande and her team of teachers.
Each class is 90 minutes of pulling and stretching and balancing postures sweating in a 105ºF studio. From those days in my office with that tight, painful neck, I now have a much better awareness of my body. The 90 minutes is challenging, but so is life. Sticking it out in each class reinforces my commitment to stick it out in the journey of life.
Focusing on myself in the mirror, I see the improvements in posture, strength, tone, and balance.
Outside of class, I notice that I am making better food choices, sleeping better, have more energy, and strength in my limbs and spine.
The Bikram yoga experience can be part of your general health maintenance, and given the impact on your body and focus on selfimprovement, will also give you benefits for various health problems.
Before you jump in, have a chat with your doctor if you have health problems under treatment. Start slow with a few classes, and as Yolande always says, “be gentle with your body”.
Looking back at it, what I call having a good stretch has helped a lot more than my painful neck!