Yippee! Yoga!

Gentle Reader,

One of the disappointments in my pain management for my back and the spinal stenosis, arthritis and osteoarthritis residing there and in other joints was the need to abandon yoga practice with a group. I was a 3 x weekly participant in the early morning 8 Limbs yoga studio here in West Seattle, walking distance from my house. I loved the discipline of falling out of bed, putting on my yoga clothes, walking the mile down and then up hills, entering the quiet sanctuary to take my place on the mat.  Twisting into those beautiful poses exacerbated rather than healed affected joints and I had to stop.

Since then I have incorporated a few yoga stretches into my daily routine including down dog and the cat-cow sequence, happy baby and the lunge, with a couple planks, and tree.  I missed warrior and triangle and worked hard to replace regret with gratitude for what I could still do.

A couple weeks ago, a friend reminded me of Peggy Cappy, the older woman whose "yoga for the rest of us" program is sometimes aired on our public television station during their fund drives.  After visiting her web site and watching a few demonstrations, I decided this could be for me.  When the DVD's arrived in the mail, I quickly made an hour or so in my day to practice.  I am so thrilled to be following the kind, steady voice of a yoga teacher again.  Her Back Care Basics includes a full hour of restorative and strengthening floor yoga exercises.  My ham strings are really loosening up, the T band down the outer thigh is lengthening.  I am taking fewer Pain Relief Complex.

I bought the 3 DVD set and have checked out the other two programs which are calm and peaceful and yet push me to greater core strength and fuller movement WITHOUT straining the damaged discs.  Her students are well over 50 (not to worry, if you are younger) and their bodies less than glamorous, but they are flexible.  They show you how to modify moves if you can't go the whole way.

I recommend Peggy Cappy highly.

I also bought her CD call Back Care Deep Relaxation for the Rest of your Life.  Oh, my.  If you have trouble sleeping or quieting your mind, this will do it.  I put the 22 minute mediation on my ipod.  I don't think I have ever been that deeply relaxed except in yoga class when a good instructor really takes you deep in the final rest position.

I can't tell you what joy it gives me to be able to pass on this information.

I know two women in Seattle who may just be Peggy Cappy's equals.  Perhaps you have instructors who know cranky backs where you live.  If you are, like me, able to carve out a full yoga practice time right in your own living room, then get her DVDs and claim the flexibility you crave.

Be well, Do Well and Keep Moving.
 Betsy

PS.  Here is a web site with every yoga pose ever developed described in detail, in case you are looking.

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