Yoga Warning: Are You Putting Your Joints at Risk? with Lara Heimann (Ep 114)

[@bendybodiespodcast]

Has yoga been beneficial for your hypermobility?

[@genie7987]

@@bendybodiespodcast no because I become too flexible very fast - I do modified stretches & 🙏🏼 for the best

[@genie7987]

I was doing yoga twice a day, it made me feel so good physically & mentally, but then one day I woke up feeling like Gumby and in extreme pain. Fast forward to my hEDS diagnosis (along with MCAS, hyperPOTS, MCS..) I cannot do yoga or barely stretch anymore at 46; I miss yoga so much.

[@bendybodiespodcast]

I am so sorry. Can you find any other form of movement that helps?

[@janetladybug5076]

Only if I modify most every pose and listen to my body

[@bendybodiespodcast]

Listening to the body is KEY!!!!

[@HelenDriscoll]

Oh boy, if I only knew then what I know now. Sweep the leg walking forward in a kung fu class ripped that SI joint quite well. It took a year before I healed and even then, had no idea what I did to my self. (20 yrs ago, I was 50) The chiropractor I went to, must have had no idea either because he never once mentioned joint hyper mobility.

[@bendybodiespodcast]

Yikes! I am so sorry that happened to you. How are you doing now?

[@HelenDriscoll]

@@bendybodiespodcast Thanks, you kick high and wide, because you can, right? (ha!!) All good, now - resistance training for 40 years so have skills to adjust. Don't feel as unsure now that I know how to lock into joints before doing reps:) And I don't work at the full range of extension like I used to. Thanks!

[@bendybodiespodcast]

@@HelenDriscoll you are most welcome and I can totally relate. What do you think young bendy people need to know? It can be so hard to modify behavior BEFORE you have run into problems!

[@HelenDriscoll]

@@bendybodiespodcast Interesting question for a few reasons- young bendys may not be as good at trad sports because of the proprioceptive issues but good at bendy activities like dance or yoga, which can exacerbate joint problems. I remember being so happy I could stretch further than others in my aerobics class, for example, since I'd spent years feeling less athletic/strong than my classmates. So you do more of what you can do, which might not be so good, ultimately. I do think everyone should know their genetics b/c then you can figure out work arounds. (I don't make the enzyme that builds fast twitch muscle, but I can build more fast twitch with resistance trainings) Maybe kids won't understand or they might internalize the information in an un-useful way. If I knew what my starting point was, in terms of athletics and physicality, it may not have taken me so much effort to arrive here. Funny, the first person who pointed out my sway back and high ribcage was a friend who was a world champ kickboxer/kung fu black belt. (but she is trained to find physical vulnerability!!) She cued me in to why my kick didn't have much power.