A physios take on yoga

A physios take on yoga

As physiotherapists, we are in the game of assessing and treating injuries and those with tightness and pain. This is what we do all day!! (and love doing so!). As a result, we are frequently asked the following question by patients who are looking to be “fixed”:

“Is > insert specific type of exercise < good for me?” 

Whether it be Crossfit, swimming, cycling .. the list is endless. “Is this going to help ME?”

More recently, yoga has exploded in popularity and as a result, more and more we are being questioned as to whether it is useful for pain, injury and tightness. The very simple and quick answer to this question 100% is YES YES YES!

After our patients have reached their treatment goals (i.e. they are pain free and back doing what they love) we always recommend maintenance of a regular stretching and mobility program. This is one factor that can prevent the patients specific problem from returning AND preventing any other potential issues.

An absolutely fantastic way to achieve optimal flexibility/mobility is through the practice of yin yoga – a style of yoga that involves holding stretches for long periods of time. We know as physios that to get real long term changes in your flexibility, a stretch must be held for at least 1-2 minutes .. this is where yin comes in!!!

Try adding a yin yoga session in once per week and we can guarantee you will feel more mobile and decrease your risk of “buckling yourself” .. translation —> stretch so you can move properly and not get injured or be in pain!

Our physio staff at Next-Gen Physio are treated to a one hour yin yoga session each week in our clinic thanks to Rachel from Yoga Body Works and we LOVE IT!! You gotta practice what you preach!

Oh and yin yoga is pretty awesome for mental clarity as well!

Until next time, try some yoga.