Best Tips for Using Yoga for Rehabilitation
As effective as yoga is for rehabilitation, it is important to do it right. The ailments you’re recovering from is different. Hence, someone recovering from an ankle injury will require a different routine from someone recovering from surgery; even though you’ll both do yoga.
Therefore, it’s important to have a qualified instructor to help you create a suitable routine and supervise your practice.
Another important part is consistency. Yoga is a practice and you have to stick to it to get the benefits. Jess Porritt, a yoga teacher in London, offers tips that’ll make your journey to recovery smooth and fun.
Start Small
The Japanese practice of Kaizen is about doing a little at a time. It might seem small, but over time the effects will add up. Moreover, it’s a great way to ensure consistency, which is important.
If you’re a yoga newbie, you might need the help of your instructor on where to start. The aim is to do a few ranges of movement to build strength and flexibility around the concerned area(s).
Find a Sequence that Suits You
After a few weeks of trying yoga poses, you’d have noticed some that you enjoyed and helped with your recovery. Get five or six of them and start doing those.
You can skip this by having your physiotherapist or yoga instructor give you a sequence based on your particular issue. That way, you can rest assured you’re not doing poses that are contraindicated. Now stick to this sequence and be steadfast.
Set a Goal
Pick an asana that is challenging but attainable for you and work towards pulling it off. This will help you keep at your sequence and give you something to look forward to. It doesn’t need to be as tough as Dove pose. If it’s Boat pose that’ll push you out of your comfort zone, choose it.
Have Fun
There’s a saying, if you must do it, make sure it’s important and you enjoy doing it. Your rehabilitation is important, but how are you going to make it fun? Whatever fun means to you, inculcate it into your yoga for recovery.
It could involve taking pictures and sharing your rehabilitation journey with friends and family on social media. Whatever works for you.
Don’t Give Up
Every other tip comes down to this. No matter how hard it gets, you will surely get there with yoga. That’s a promise. Take things one step at a time; and don’t stop. Even if it takes weeks before you see improvements, know that you’re getting closer to the finish line and that’s what matters.
