Here you will find articles, newsletters and web links for yoga teachers. The YogaUK.com website was founded in 1999 by Andrea Newman to support and connect heart-centred yoga teachers who work hard to serve their local communities. All yoga teachers are welcome, from anywhere in the world.
Yoga and scoliosis
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Article: Yoga and scoliosis Yoga practice can be very useful for people with scoliosis. An appropriate regular practice can help in relieving pain, managing other symptoms and enhancing well-being. β β It also can be empowering for people to learn a practical and effective way they can manage their condition themselves. β β β Scoliosis is a condition of the spine that can cause discomfort, muscle imbalance, limited mobility and sometimes pain. Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine, typically forming an "S" shape when viewed from the back. The condition can range from very mild to severe, depending on the degree and shape of curvature. β β Doctors will measure the angles of the curves and designate the scoliosis as mild, moderate or severe, accordingly. The shape of the curve varies too. β β β Benefits of yoga for scoliosis As yoga emphasises working towards balance and alignment, this approach can help reduce postural imbalances, even though a symmetrical end-point will never be reached. Yoga can strengthen the back and belly muscles which helps to support the spine and can help stabilise the scoliotic curves. Yoga can help lengthen muscles that have become tight and shortened, and strengthen those that have become weak, promoting greater strength and flexibility overall. Gentle stretching and mindful movement can help relieve pain or discomfort in the muscles surrounding the spinal curves. For those with thoracic scoliotic curves, spinal extension, lateral flexion and breathwork can be particularly helpful in improving lung capacity and expanding the ribcage. β As you observe your students with scoliosis in standing you may notice:
You are very likely to observe limited mobility in people who have received surgery to stabilise their scoliosis, which is offered in extreme cases. A pose where scoliosis is often particularly evident is child pose. You will see one side of the back more βhumpedβ than the other. In asymmetrical yoga poses there may be a significant difference in mobility between the two sides, in the spine, hips and shoulders. β How people with scoliosis experience the condition Individuals with scoliosis experience it differently, so itβs important to have a conversation with each yoga student to gather information about their personal limitations and effects of the condition on their lives. They are likely to discover more about how scoliosis affects them as a result of ongoing asana practice. Some people have no symptoms with scoliosis. Some are unaware that they have the condition. Others experience pain, muscle tension or discomfort. In some it impacts breathing and also digestion. And not to mention the difficulty in buying clothes that fit properly. β Most people can lead active, fulfilling lives with scoliosis. For those with chronic pain or severe curvature, managing scoliosis needs ongoing care and support, both physically and emotionally. β How to teach students with scoliosis in a yoga class Avoid going to the limit: A yoga practitioner with scoliosis is wise to avoid going all the way to the limit of the range of movement of any pose, on either side. Itβs helpful to guide them to stay well within comfortable limits. Avoid trying to be symmetrical: Always respect the limitations of the curves and never try to match the two sides. Teach yoga practices to support the person as they are, and without offering therapy or advice unless you are qualified to do so. β Backbends: Backbends are very useful for students with scoliosis. But deep backbends are to be avoided as they can put excess strain on the neck or lumbar spine where scoliosis is present. Taking a lesser degree of spinal extension makes the pose helpful, for example focusing more on lengthening than lifting in a low bhujangasana (cobra pose). Experienced students may self-select this, but others may try to push into backbends which we can discourage. β Side bends oppose the deepening of spinal curves over time. Triangle pose (trikonasana), flank stretch (parsvakonasana), gate pose (parighasana) and simple side bends are helpful in this regard. β Itβs also important that the student takes care not to over-stretch the more open side (convex side) of the scoliotic curve. This may be tempting, and might feel good, but this side of the curve is already overly lengthened so itβs best not to encourage it to open even more. Strengthening: Poses such as plank, side plank (Vasisthasana) and warrior poses (Virabhadrasana) help to develop muscle strength, developing more support for the spine. β Deep breathing: Learning complete yogic breathing helps to expand the concave side of the ribcage and improve and maximise overall respiratory function. β β Supporting the whole person Some people find it frustrating when they can βdo a poseβ on one side, but struggle on the other. If this is caused by scoliosis, this is never going to change, so developing acceptance is a useful teaching point. β β As yoga teachers, we often give broad guidance to students to look after themselves. This is particularly important for people with scoliosis in order to support their learning of autonomy and self-care for their specific condition. A yoga student knows their own body best, and will know more about the nature of their scoliosis than their teacher. But as yoga teachers we can provide an invaluable safe environment where they can come and explore with loving guidance, which can be life-changing. β Any thoughts, experiences or questions? Do share at a community Q&A meeting, or in a chat space in the community hub. Community news Talking points New community members are very welcome to join our Q&A meetings. We talk about all sorts of topics relating to yoga teaching, including class management issues, students with particular needs, thoughts around different types of venues, setting fees, marketing, aspects of anatomy. It's also fine simply to come along and listen in to the conversations. The next three Zoom Q&A meetings are: Saturday 21st Sept 10-11am Friday 18th October 2.30-3.30pm Saturday 9th November 10-11am Log in to the community hub for further dates, to say you're coming, to get email reminders, and to access the Zoom links - link from your Dashboard at yogauk.com. Back pain workshop This workshop on Saturday 26th October is free of charge to community members - log in to the community hub and look in the 'Events' space to say you're coming and access the Zoom link. Please feel free to pass this newsletter on to any yoga teacher friends or colleagues who might be interested in any of the content. They can sign up to receive newsletters to their own inbox at www.yogauk.com
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Yoga Teaching and Learning
Here you will find articles, newsletters and web links for yoga teachers. The YogaUK.com website was founded in 1999 by Andrea Newman to support and connect heart-centred yoga teachers who work hard to serve their local communities. All yoga teachers are welcome, from anywhere in the world.
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