I’ve received some excellent questions about yoga classes, so I wanted to make sure I’ve answered all of them before the Early Bird Registrations close on Wednesday, March 15th. Hence a Monday post.
Q: I flare up quite often. Can I do yoga when I’m feeling off?
A: It depends.
Depending on the intensity of your flare-up, you may want to skip a day or two of your active movement practice or dial it back a little instead.
What helped me the most was letting go of the “all or nothing” mindset:
Frequent flare-ups might mean that you have a more sensitive nervous system and that your progress might be less linear and more like a cha-cha – three steps forward, two steps back.
When you are on the verge of a flare-up, try just 15 minutes of your usual movement practice and assess how you feel afterwards.
If you feel better after 15 minutes, then keep on going.
If you feel worse, then you know it is time to stop.
And if you feel the same, try another 15 minutes and reassess.
Q: I get sore whenever I start a new movement program. Why is that?
A: This happens because your body is getting challenged in many new ways. When you try something new, your nervous system has to assess the safety of the movement; your joints have to organize and stabilize in new ways; your whole body has to figure out a whole new motor pattern. Orchestrating all these different tasks takes a lot of energy!
Feeling tired immediately after your new movement practice or sore a day after is not unusual at all.
When I started rehabbing my neck and shoulders two years ago, I walked out of the studio with a headache lasting between two and three days every time I worked out. Over time – close to 8 months – the headaches became less intense and shorter. I still have good and bad days, but no after-workout headaches anymore.
Q: I want to try a studio class but will miss some classes. Can I still attend?
A: Absolutely, as long as you aren’t missing more than 30% of classes.
Please e-mail me for partial registration information.
Q: I might miss some of the online classes. Is that a problem?
A: Not at all. All online classes are recorded, and recordings are available for 90 days – so you can replay the class you’ve missed at your leisure.
Hey, my name is Julia
Living with chronic pain has taught me to look for solutions in unlikely places – places where most people see only problems.
Over the years I’ve gotten to be pretty good at this problem-solving and silver-lining finding thing.
So good that I felt compelled to share what I’ve learned and help others to find their sea legs while navigating, living, and winning their battle with chronic pain.
