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| I have scoliosis the type you are born with. The yoga instructor said bikram can fix this....but how would that work if it is the spine that is deformed? I understand if it is functional scoliosis where...say you carried a heavy purse on one shoulder and now lean to the left....that makes sense....is what she said true or not? I know it would also prevent it from getting worse, but fix the spine?....any thoughts?  |
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Location: London, England | Hi there,
Complete rubbish I'm afraid, sorry there's so many teachers around who sprout this kind on nonsense, if there's a snake oil, someone will try to sell it
Nick |
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Member
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| Thanks Nick,
I thought it was rubbish and when I said something about it to the teacher, she just dismissed me as if I knew nothing about the anatomy of my own back. I know yoga will help it from getting worse (any exercise really would) so I am going to keep on going for overall health...I'll just always do some poses a little to the left=) |
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Location: London, England | I bet you know more about back anatomy and physiology than most yoga teachers, just in the few sentences I've seen you say I can see that you know what you are talking about-good luck with it.
Nick |
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Member
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| I have scoliosis too, but the instructors at my studio have only said that yoga will help. In fact, that's why I started Bikram. And after only 7 sessions, I do notice a difference in my posture, and a lot of the chronic pain I've had for years has begun to dissipate a bit. Nothing short of surgery (horrors!) can "fix" or straighten your spine, but there are so many things you can do to strengthen the muscles, increase flexibility, strength, and mobility. Even as a newbie, I believe Bikram to be the BEST thing for me right now. Good luck to you! |
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| Thanks IDoTHings. That is a motivator=) I think they should just say what you said about the surrounding muscles as opposed to magically straightening out my crooked self=) Good luck to you!
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| kakes - 2010-10-02 6:57 PM
I have scoliosis the type you are born with. The yoga instructor said bikram can fix this....but how would that work if it is the spine that is deformed?
One thing that is sorely lacking in many yoga teacher trainings is teaching the prospective teacher to have integrity. A yoga teacher is not qualified after taking a teacher training course to diagnose, treat or even have an intelligent opinion about medical matters. People study for many years to become doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors etc. A yoga teacher training does not even make someone a qualified yoga teacher let alone a medical professional. Yoga teachers need to have the integrity to only talk about what they actually know and not repeat a bunch of junk that they have heard, but do not understand.
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| Hey, IDoThings :-)
I have scoliosis, too. I never went to a chiro to have the degree/curvature/whatever assessed, but I know Bikram yoga has lessened its effects. If I practice less than 3x/week, the pain I feel in my middle and upper back is 80% better. If I go more often, it's pretty much gone unless I'm doing something to strain it.
http://eattheyolk.blogspot.com |
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| Randomfemale - 2010-10-05 7:46 AM
Hey, IDoThings :-)
I have scoliosis, too. I never went to a chiro to have the degree/curvature/whatever assessed, but I know Bikram yoga has lessened its effects. If I practice less than 3x/week, the pain I feel in my middle and upper back is 80% better. If I go more often, it's pretty much gone unless I'm doing something to strain it.
http://eattheyolk.blogspot.com
... and that's what we mean by "fix." Bikram is actually very clear when he explains this to us teachers (though there's always SOMEONE who misses the memo). He says that when you keep coming to class, you will feel better. Then it's up to you to maintain it, i.e. if you STOP coming, the problem will come back. So the underlying problem may never go away entirely, but the yoga can still take away a lot of your pain, sometimes even ALL of your pain. It's good stuff. |
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| Hi, Randomfemale!
My curve is about 50 over 35. It was my Rolfer who recommended Bikram as a way to deal with chronic pain, first, and then to help strengthen the muscles (especially my core), and increase flexibility, balance, etc. And it's helping! I'm moving slowly -- started out once a week, now I'm at twice a week, but I can see 3Xweek in my very near future. It's so cool. I used to regard a workout as something that was going to cause more pain, but with Bikram, I think, "Dang, I'm sore! Yoga will help!" I feel so grateful to have found this.
And thedancingj, I agree. I tell people I'm in the fight of my life against my back problems, and I take my participation in my healing process very seriously. I don't care what kind of shape I'm in, I WILL keep coming back, and I WILL be better. |
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| I'm glad the posts have helped, I Do Things, even if mine needed to be edited. I think I meant to say it's much better so long as I go 3x/week, and even better if I go more! What happened to that edit button?? :-)
I've been told by a couple of teachers that abnormal is simply the norm. Few people have a perfectly aligned spine, and if they do, there's probably somethin' else out of whack! :-)
I'm skeptical about Bikram yoga--or anything, for that matter--as a cure-all, but I definitely don't think yoga will hurt. Those chronic conditions will only improve over time, and if they don't, you can always stop and try something else!
That said, I'm just a regular ol' English teacher, so trust the Bikram instructors/docs/chiros over this! |
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Regular
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| if bikram yoga was a pill, everyone would take it. |
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New User
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| I have scoliosis too. Although, not congenital: I was diagnosed as a "mild case" when I was about 12. It was never properly followed.... years of cheerleading: heavy lifting and people standing on my shoulders and back. Now im 30 and my clavicles are completely off, my right shoulder dips, and my ribs are not even. ( I notice the ribs most during the 1st breathing exercise -freaks me out) After 2 months of Bikram i can say things are definitely improving. Half moon pose is still very difficult: probably because its most beneficial.
I notice just walking around, my posture is definitely better, and my clavicles almost look normal. Lower ribs are still all messed up though, but it definitely looks better than it was. Ive done bikram on and off for about 5 years now: but its definitely true: gotta keep doing it: the effects dont last forever. |
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Scoliosis
