One thing I’ve noticed since I returned to yoga is just how much time it takes up. It’s hard to believe that I used to go every single day to a 90-minute class, often fighting my way though thirty minutes of traffic in L.A. just to get to class, and then another thirty minutes to get home! Many adults complain about not having enough time to exercise, and I sometimes wonder about this since you could, say, go for a 3-mile run 5 times a week without putting a dent in your schedule. But yoga is different; it takes up a huge chunk of your day to practice at a yoga studio. How does anyone manage to have a regular practice? (more…)
A long time ago, in my past life as an “advanced” yogi, I wrote a post on this blog about the proper way to do Chaturanga. Yesterday, as part of my slow and on-going recovery, I went to another Anusara class and got a totally different take on Chaturangas/Vinyasas that blew my mind. (more…)
I went to another Anusara-inspired yoga class, my second yoga class in 4 months, and probably just my 15th yoga class in the past year. So far, no pain in my shoulder, so I’m hopeful that this time I can really make a comeback. I’ll be much more cautious this time, and am making sure to go no more than 3 times a week for the first few months. My shoulder still makes some gnarly grinding noises (think pepper grinder with stones in it), so I am not ready to say it’s healed. But I’m cautiously optimistic.
Yesterday, I started my 3-month unlimited pass at Dhyana Yoga in Philadelphia. I took an Anusara-inspired class that was probably in the level 1-2 or level 2 range. Perhaps the strangest thing for me, and the most challenging, was to take a yoga class and not do many of the things that I used to do. Due to my shoulder injury, I modified vinyasas (i.e., knees down + cobra) or cut them out entirely. I even cut out some down-dogs, so as to give my injured shoulder a break.
I recently bought a 3-month unlimited pass to a yoga studio here in Philadelphia. The place is called Dhyana Yoga. They offer mostly vinyasa and anusara, the two kinds of yoga I’m most familiar with and most comfortable with. Why is this news? About a year ago I sustained a bad shoulder injury and had to stop doing yoga pretty much entirely. (This is why the blog has been inactive for so many months). The injury did not improve, and, in fact, got so bad that I was unable to lift my arm to parallel for nearly 6 months. I had an MRI and learned that I had a slight tear in my rotator cuff, along with the more serious problem, chronic shoulder bursitis. After having done yoga every day of my life for years, and having been a yoga teacher for almost three years, it was a real bummer to suddenly be unable to do down-dog or even a basic Sun Salutation A.
I haven’t been posting much at all for several months now, not due to neglect, but due to yet another injury. This time, I re-injured my left shoulder and am having a terrible time recovering. Today I found out the results of an MRI–no tears in my shoulder, but some wear is visible in my rotator cuff. The official diagnosis is shoulder bursitis, which is chronic (and painful!) inflammation of the shoulder bursa, a sack of synovial fluid that is supposed to reduce friction and help joints move smoothly. When the bursa becomes inflamed, though, it actually increases friction and can even cause the surrounding tissue to wear and tear. The swelling also results in a painful locking sensation in the shoulder when you try to lift your arm into certain positions.
Filed under: Yoga Bloomington
Bloomington Power Yoga is now Mukti Yoga. The new website is www.muktiyoga.org.
Classes will still be held in the same space (Blooming Lotus above Roots), and all class packages with Bloomington Power Yoga are valid with Mukti Yoga.
There’ve been a lot of changes at Bloomington Power Yoga over the past year, including the departure of most of the original teachers. Susan, Rusty, and I have all stopped teaching, but Kelly will continue on, and there are now several new and wonderful teachers who have joined the mix. The new name, Mukti Yoga, means “liberation” yoga, and is intended to reflect the various changes at the studio. Please support the new teachers and help the community to thrive and grow!
- Eugene
Filed under: Uncategorized
My partner and I are moving to Philadelphia this summer. We’ll be there for a year. This will actually be my second time living in Philly–I did my undergrad at Penn–but I moved away in 2000 I’m sure a lot of things have changed since then. One thing I hear is that Philly now has a very good yoga scene, something that didn’t exist when I lived there. If anyone knows of good studios or teachers in Philly, I’d be grateful for your recommendations.
At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll try to teach in Philly. There’s a small possibility that I will, but I can’t say for sure yet. At the very least, I’m excited to be practicing yoga again in a big city.
In my seven years of practicing yoga, I’ve managed to injure myself numerous times. One injury to my wrist resulted in my wearing a cast for a month, and then a splint for another month. I’ve also had ongoing problems with my right knee, my neck, my upper back, my right hip, and, more recently, my lower back. And now that I’ve suffered an injury to my shoulder from rock climbing, I’m starting to wonder if my persistent injuries might be due, at least in part, to my “no pain, no gain” approach to all forms of physical activity. I’ve always been one to test and push my edge–in yoga, rock climbing, academics, whatever–but lately I’ve been asking myself, How much is too much? (more…)
Filed under: Self-Practice Journal
I’ve been virtually out of commission for the last month with a shoulder injury. It looks like it was probably a rotator cuff tear/strain that I sustained from excessive and overly enthusiastic climbing at the local rock climbing gym. Of course, I’ve stopped climbing (for the time being) because of the injury. But I have been trying, on and off, to do some yoga. Practicing yoga is obviously very difficult when you can’t lift one of your arms, but it’s not impossible. As I’ve tried to motivate myself to do yoga over the past few weeks, it’s been a struggle to figure out how to modify the practice in such a way that respects my injury without totally sapping the practice of all physical challenge. A second difficulty has been mental/emotional: one needs a good dose of humilty and acceptance in order to practice yoga with an injury. As someone who has practiced yoga for many years, I have certain strong (stubborn?) ideas in my head about what a yoga practice should be. This injury has forced me to reconsider some of those ideas. (more…)
