Yoga, Functional Movement, and Putting the Cart Before the Horse

 

Yoga changed my life. While I had been exposed to yoga in college, I began my practice in earnest in 2006. I was 28 and was totally lost. I’d hit a major wall in almost every area of my life and thought I’d try a yoga class because, at that point, I’d try anything. I gave it a shot and thought it was ok. I went back to class the next day. My attendance grew, and I soon developed a vigorous daily practice. Nothing could have prepared me for the impact it had on my frayed nerves and unstable body. I grew calm, strong, and shockingly happy. I also cultivated a huge appetite for the study of movement and yoga.

In May of 2008, when I had completed my first teacher training, I was eager to share the transformative power of yoga with anyone who was ready to learn. As my teaching repertoire expanded, I learned to teach yoga to students who had seasoned practices as well as individuals who were fresh on the scene. There were classes available for newcomers, expectant mothers, the “advanced”, and those in between. The only requirements for membership were interest, a class package, and the willingness to comply with studio policies. As a student who arrived to her practice feeling broken and had emerged feeling whole, I could embrace the idea that you could come as you are.

This notion that yoga is for everyone has expanded exponentially. There’s a yoga class for every mood, body type, and temperament. The message is that yoga is a practice for everybody, and the benefits are available to all. What is often not communicated is that some of the most commonly taught yoga postures require a specific level of functionality. Most responsible yoga teachers will encourage their students to communicate if they are nursing an injury, but rarely do we screen for dysfunctional movement patterns or misplaced joints in a yoga class. We can gain strength and flexibility in our yoga practice, but if the functional movement isn’t there, we set the stage for injury.

Take, for example, Downward Facing Dog, one of my personal favorites, which is taught in almost every yoga class I’ve taken. It stretches the hamstrings, tones the arms, and lengthens the muscles of the back. Every bit of your body is engaged and it does a great job of lifting the ribs out of the pelvis. However, what happens if your left shoulder is a tiny bit unstable? While you don’t have an “injury”, you will tend to avoid using your left arm too much because your right arm is your “good” arm. You might feel a small pinch in your left shoulder when you reach for something overhead, but it’s not high-level pain, so you manage and hardly ever think about it. Now, consider that same shoulder in a weight-bearing exercise like Downward Facing Dog. The effect of gravity and body weight on an unstable shoulder can be risky, even if you don’t perceive of yourself as “injured”.

How do you know if your shoulders are unstable? Try a Bent Knee Lower Trapezius Exercise. Monitor your effort and engagement in both arms and shoulders. If this exercise is either very difficult or impossible, then your shoulders are not quite ready for a Downward Dog. To strengthen the muscles of the shoulder, practice this Simple Shoulder Stabilizer Exercise daily for one week. Then try the first exercise again. The Trapezius Exercise will be significantly easier after some stability work, which means that your shoulders are ready for a weight bearing exercise like Downward Dog.

Eight years after my first training (and many trainings later), yoga remains one of my passions. I am continually amazed at the effect it has on my body and mind, and I practice every day. I still teach a schedule of classes, but my work at BodyFix Method™ as an Alignment Therapist has shaped me as a teacher. When I work privately with a client, I incorporate yoga poses slowly into their program after we’ve completed range of motion tests and stability work. From there, I am confident that this client will be able to reap the benefits from their yoga practice and not harm themselves as their practice grows.

I am pleased to announce that I am now offering private and semi-private yoga sessions at BodyFix Method™. Functional tests and stabilizing exercises are included in each session, allowing the practitioner to explore yoga with clarity, safety, and function. Clients will experience the benefits of this practice while gaining renewed function in their bodies. If you would like a copy of the two exercises I mentioned in this blog, or more information on this new offering at BodyFix Method™, Email me at elaine@bodyfixmethod.com.