Day 23 of 365 - Why Does My Yoga Need a Tune Up?
I mentioned Yoga Tune Up briefly in my post about keeping my feet happy. It is the name of another fitness class which I attend on a weekly basis. I've been going to this one for around five years. In the past I have attended basic hatha yoga classes where we would do routines including familiar sequences like Sun Salutation or poses like Warrior in a gentle flow way. I've never done hot yoga or power yoga but have tried kundalini yoga a couple of times when that was the style a substitute teacher offered at a fitness studio I attended in the past.
Yoga Tune Up is different from other yoga classes. To quote their website: "Yoga Tune Up is a fitness therapy format built around the three P's - Pain, Posture and Performance. It helps eradicate pain, improve posture and enhance performance through a unique blend of yoga, Corrective Exercise, Self-Massage and Breath Strategies. By helping to identify your ' body blind spots'; areas that are most overused, underused or misused, YTU heals damaged muscle, increases strength and establishes healthy movement patterns."
To get a sense of what we might do in a class I will share some examples. Understand though, that each class can be different, dependent on targeted areas. We begin by lying on our mat to do some breath work and feel into our body. The instructor may ask students if there are particular areas of their body bothering us in terms of stiffness, pain or other limitations.
Then, we usually begin the self-massage techniques, which are done using therapy balls of different sizes and densities in a particular way. These are not tennis balls or lacrosse balls, but are a customized rubber ones designed for YTU. They are fairly firm but also have some flexibility. There are three sizes of these balls, which go from tennis ball size to a little larger than that, to a softball size. Then there is also a softer inflated ball which is larger. We learn different ways to roll out our muscles and tissues with these balls to soften tight areas. After doing some rolling out we do some yoga poses for strengthening and flexibility. Class ends with relaxation and breathing techniques.
When I mentioned Yoga Tune Up in relation to my feet, it was because one of the techniques with the small balls is rolling out all the areas of the feet. Often, sore arches or heel pain can be due to tight connective tissue on the bottom of the feet or in the legs. Rolling out this tissue can provide a lot of relief, especially if it is done on a regular basis.
I own all the different size balls now and do use them between classes to address problem spots. A set of two of the small ones are usually included in my luggage if I am going anywhere. They are great for relieving the discomforts of travel.
Attending this class has taught me more about my body, especially how tight tissue or muscle in one area can affect pain, posture or performance in another area. It has been a great benefit to me in recovery from a shoulder strain several years ago. After a significant strain around a joint, we can develop habits of protectively tightening tissues and muscles in an effort to eliminate pain. But, this will limit our range of motion and also affects posture and movement in other areas. I have been able to significantly improve my shoulder range of motion using the Yoga Tune Up techniques.
There are many other strategies and benefits of this approach. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can easily find their website and videos online. It's another keeper in my health and vitality toolbox.
Yoga Tune Up is different from other yoga classes. To quote their website: "Yoga Tune Up is a fitness therapy format built around the three P's - Pain, Posture and Performance. It helps eradicate pain, improve posture and enhance performance through a unique blend of yoga, Corrective Exercise, Self-Massage and Breath Strategies. By helping to identify your ' body blind spots'; areas that are most overused, underused or misused, YTU heals damaged muscle, increases strength and establishes healthy movement patterns."
To get a sense of what we might do in a class I will share some examples. Understand though, that each class can be different, dependent on targeted areas. We begin by lying on our mat to do some breath work and feel into our body. The instructor may ask students if there are particular areas of their body bothering us in terms of stiffness, pain or other limitations.
Then, we usually begin the self-massage techniques, which are done using therapy balls of different sizes and densities in a particular way. These are not tennis balls or lacrosse balls, but are a customized rubber ones designed for YTU. They are fairly firm but also have some flexibility. There are three sizes of these balls, which go from tennis ball size to a little larger than that, to a softball size. Then there is also a softer inflated ball which is larger. We learn different ways to roll out our muscles and tissues with these balls to soften tight areas. After doing some rolling out we do some yoga poses for strengthening and flexibility. Class ends with relaxation and breathing techniques.
When I mentioned Yoga Tune Up in relation to my feet, it was because one of the techniques with the small balls is rolling out all the areas of the feet. Often, sore arches or heel pain can be due to tight connective tissue on the bottom of the feet or in the legs. Rolling out this tissue can provide a lot of relief, especially if it is done on a regular basis.
I own all the different size balls now and do use them between classes to address problem spots. A set of two of the small ones are usually included in my luggage if I am going anywhere. They are great for relieving the discomforts of travel.
Attending this class has taught me more about my body, especially how tight tissue or muscle in one area can affect pain, posture or performance in another area. It has been a great benefit to me in recovery from a shoulder strain several years ago. After a significant strain around a joint, we can develop habits of protectively tightening tissues and muscles in an effort to eliminate pain. But, this will limit our range of motion and also affects posture and movement in other areas. I have been able to significantly improve my shoulder range of motion using the Yoga Tune Up techniques.
There are many other strategies and benefits of this approach. If you are interested in learning more about it, you can easily find their website and videos online. It's another keeper in my health and vitality toolbox.
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