Morning……
After several unpleasant injuries over the years my back, neck, shoulder, knees, wrist and ankle are pretty screwed…. Not alot of flexibility, a fair amount of pain some of the time.
I have finally decided that it needs to be sorted since getting my fitness back after the last op..
Sooooooo is yoga likely to help? Any other suggestions?

Cheers

yes

find a nice relaxed class and go for it
its worth mentioning your injuries to the instructor as well so they make sure you build up gradually using your injured parts

sometimes they can be a bit spiritual but you can take or leave it and just get on with stretching out those tendons

Yes.

You’ll be amazed at how much of a work out it is. I’m normally sweating after 5 mins!

Yoga’s great because you get out what you put in, you can take it quite easy and stick to easy moves and not push too much if that’s how you’re feeling. But you can REALLY push yourself when you want to.

I always thought yoga looked a bit of a soft touch thing. It’s absolutely not!

I’ve only ever done pilates but that might also be worth a look as it helps wih control, flexibility and strength.

Which ever you do find somewhere good to do it. The place I go to does small classes of around 8 where as I’ve talked to other people who do gym classes of 30+. Some of it is quite subtle and you need some proper coaching to get it right.

http://www.bodycontrolpilates.com/shop/the-body-control-pilates-method.html

I’ve tried it a bit and it’s good – hard work for me though as I’m the least flexible person in the world.

Any types of yoga that definitely won’t involve chanting? I don’t mind meditative stuff but chanting just turns me right off.

i think its down t instructors grum, my old one never did any chanting, but then it was at a science institute so she knew to keep that hippy shit stowed away!

YES.

Totally

I was converted to Yoga by Mrs LHS about 9 years ago, after a number of pretty serious skiing and car related injuries I was walking like a 110 year old zombie after 10 pints of Duvel. Yoga has completly restored by posture, core strength and overall balancing of my body.

Yes, however finding the right type of class is definitely worth doing. Go to a few taster sessions as the variations in methodologies / objectives is huge.

Another yes. It’s boring as hell, but it does work.

If it helps, at my class you usually get a little sleep followed by a cup of tea at the end, might be worth going for just the last 15mins.

Yep. Worth a try, you may need to visit a few different classes/teachers till you find one you really gel will.

To get full flexibility benefits you ideally need to do 3 sessions a week, obv can do at home rather than paid for class.

Add in a bit of pilates once a week, and cardio now and again and your good for a full body change in 6 months.

Yes, go for it. It has numerous benefits.

As for the chanting/hippy thing, I know what you mean, it’s down to the instructor really. Yoga as a whole is a lot more than just assuming postures. How much the teacher get’s in to that depends on them really. I’ve been to classes where there’s ‘ambient’ music, candles & incense etc, and others where it feels like a gymnastics class.

Try as many classes in your area as you can. And yes, talk to the teacher about why you’re doing it.

Had another thought. If you want to just do one class, that covers pretty much everything, search out an Ashtanga class. It’ll give you flex, strength and a bit of cardio all in one session. It may also be one of the hardest workouts you’ve ever done!

Its sometimes called power yoga, but mostly by people who aren’t qualified to teach it, though that wouldn’t necessarily put me off.

on another note its a great place to meet flexible women

Cheers for that….. Will definately look at the local classes. Kimbers I think Mrs vader may have something to say about that 😆

Yes I am a recent convert. It’s not really about flexibility though, a quote below from my instructor explains better than I can…

How often do I hear people say “I would love to try yoga but I am just not flexible enough”? Pretty much every day. The ‘achievement’ of difficult poses is not the aim of yoga though sadly this is often lost sight of. My hope is, in my classes, people will find the path to the journey inside, and strike a balance between strength and flexibility. If you are flexible, in all probability you need to work more towards strength, and if you are stiff, more towards flexibility balanced by strength. With diligent practice, the body becomes more responsive, flexible and strong.

on another note its a great place to meet flexible women

Shhh!

This ^

Also, you feel great afterwards. 😉

Don’t stand next to the old lady with trapped wind. Yoga is great at clearing the pipes and it can be hard not to laugh uncontrollably when …

Yes, I do a bit before each workout, great for lower back pain.

This too if your wrists aren’t too shagged. Combines yoga holds with movement.

scroll to the end…

Ido Portal

Yoga has been good for my bad back – and also a stiff shoulder and ankle I didn’t even know I had.

But tell instructor about injuriex before start of class. Also be prepared to bit rubbish, not least because women seem to be naturally more flexible.

My right wrist would be fine…. After watching that my left wrist is sulking in a corner!
And I am prepared to be very rubbish olddog, I haven’t had any flexibility since giving up martial arts in my 20s…..

I did it but got fed up doing breathing exercises, all I want to do is s t r e t c h .

worked for him

http://youtu.be/npBnL4e7nZA

Yes! In case you were still wondering 😀 as above – find a good class ( good teachers will always ask about injuries at the start), & it’s about challenging yourself, not being super bendy & keeping up with the rest. I do Ashtanga + variations in the class I go to & it’s great for strength & sorts out the stiff bits you get from cycling.