Session 4

Today we did 3 poses and as ever the session went very quickly.  We started off with hero pose supported by a chair.  I was a little apprehensive at the fact that my legs would be in an almost kneeling position and that I would be here for a while.  Ordinarily, pre-op this would not even have been a consideration but because I have been doing limited exercise and yoga practice, I am not as flexible as I used to be.  I needn’t have worried as the pose was actually really comfortable.  The blanket that was wrapped around my arms was particularly supportive especially on my right shoulder.  There was no heavy push of gravity and I was able to just relax and sink into the pose.

Hero pose (I don’t look much like a hero here though!)

The second pose was elevated legs on the chair pose.  This pose took a bit of getting into because of my shoulder/arm.  At first, it felt painful as we initially tried using a bolster under my back.  We then tried a couple of blankets which was perfect.  I felt my chest really open up and I was able to sink into the floor.  The strap around my legs also allowed me to completely melt into the pose.  I felt really supported.  The feeling in the pose was bizarre – I felt as though my torso did not exist.  My arms, head and legs seemed to be firmly glued to the floor, but my torso felt as though it was floating.  It was lovely.  I really liked this pose and it was amazing at how much of a difference it made on my back.  It was weird because the stiffness in my back had really eased, even after such a short amount of time.

The boob pillows coming in handy again for the elevated legs on chair pose!

The relaxation pose was side lying savasana – I think I dozed off!  This was a lovely pose and the use of the blocks under the bolster to support my right arm was a revelation.  I needed some support at the right height because of my arm – this was perfect.  I have only just started to be able to lie on my side, but this was completely relaxing because of both the arm support and the bolster between my lower legs.

Side lying savasana

I enjoyed today’s session as my back has really eased off.  It’s such a nice feeling as it gives me some confidence that my back won’t always be so tight.

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Session 1 – click here 
Session 2 – click here 
Session 3 – click here 
Session 4 – you’re already here
Session 5 – click here 
Session 6 – click here
My Final Thoughts – click here 

Session 2

This session involved poses for my back.  The first pose was a forward bend, but I felt that this was too strong on my back, so we had to modify it by using a chair.  This bend felt really nice and although I didn’t spend too long in the pose, it felt as though it had an immediate impact.

Forward bend using a chair

We also did a cobbler type pose with a bolster under my back.  I am struggling with gravity on my right arm (it needs to be supported for there to be no pain) but we found a way of making this comfortable.  Again, this felt really nice – in fact it was so comfortable that I said that I felt like I was on a beach, relaxing on holiday!

Supported cobbler pose

The gentle back bend that we did using blankets was also really comfortable.  My back is usually quite open, and, in the past, I think I would have found this pose ‘insufficient’ but now, it was perfect – just the right amount of stretch but with huge amounts of comfort. 

Gentle back bend

Janice also showed me how to roll the blanket into a position to be placed around my head.  I like this feeling of being encased and ‘surrounded’.

For relaxation, my legs and lower part of my body were wrapped firmly in a couple of blankets and I had a ‘heavy’ blanket on my abdomen.  I nodded off during the relaxation pose….. I never do that!  I felt super relaxed and comfortable. This is the second time that I have been able to completely turn off my mind.  Dare I say it but in some previous yoga sessions, my mind has always retained a little bit of movement and it has been more of an effort to ‘switch off’ completely. Not so in these last two sessions.

Savasana

At the end of the session I mentioned that although I could still ‘feel’ the tightness around my back wound, I didn’t notice it as much.  It certainly didn’t feel as tight and whatever tightness was there was certainly much less noticeable than previously.  It was a lovely feeling…. although I was almost getting back to my pre-surgery feeling of ‘normality’ (although I still have a long way to go as it is still only 15 weeks).

2 sessions down and both have gone really fast.  In all honesty, I am surprised at how big an impact these poses have had – they have minimal (if any) movement but they have just the right amount of support and stretch, they seem to be clearing my mind and relaxing me like never before and my back seems to be less ‘angry’ in terms of discomfort.  I have a busy job that can sometimes be stressful, but I am finding these sessions are melting the tension of the working week away.

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Session 1 – click here
Session 2 – you’re already here
Session 3 – click here 
Session 4 – click here 
Session 5 – click here 
Session 6 – click here
My Final Thoughts – click here