Bones and Yoga

This month in my yoga classes, I’m designing our practices through the lens of strength. Our yoga practices can strengthen our muscles, bones, breathing, spirit, and even digestion!  I’m focusing this week on how we can use our practice to strengthen our bones.
 
My own story is where I start:
 
I have osteoporosis, probably due to a combination of long-term effects of cancer treatments and genetics.  I have no interest in taking a drug to treat it, as long as I can avoid that. I was referred to an endocrinologist a few years ago. When I told him I practice yoga, he said, “You don’t look like someone who falls, and that’s the biggest risk, so I’m not going to recommend that you start taking a drug.”  (Side note: I thought he was going to say, “You don’t look like someone who does yoga.”  Those insecurities are pervasive!)
 
 I was SO encouraged! I even took an online course “Yoga for Osteoporosis” taught by an expert, Dr. Loren Fishman. It encourages me and informs a lot of my yoga practice.
 
One of my sources of information and inspiration about yoga is Dr. Timothy McCall, author of Yoga as Medicine. Here’s an excerpt from his newsletter from a couple of years ago:
 
“While doctors tend to focus on measures like drugs and dietary supplements like calcium and Vitamin D and to raise bone mineral density levels, they may not pay as much attention to what we can do that may make us less likely to fall.
 
In yoga, balancing poses like Vrksasana (Tree Pose) are often recommended, and I believe they have value. But I'm come [sic] to think that dynamic balancing, in which we move slowly in and out of poses, or from one pose to another, may be even better.
 
The way I teach dynamic balancing is to combine slow, subtle breathing with slow, smooth movements in which balance is challenged all throughout the range of motion. This I suspect is far better training for real world situations in which we might fall and break a bone. “
 
~Dr. Timothy McCall, author of Yoga as Medicine. He can be found at: http://www.drmccall.com.
 
 
So, the story is that yoga not only strengthens our bone density, but it can strengthen the muscles that we need in order to prevent ourselves from falling.
 
This is more confirmation that the slow, mindful approach has great benefits!
 
Check out my offerings here: Consider Yoga Learning Center