I like to live a very adventurous life. Aside from yoga, my other hobbies include: snowboarding, mountain biking, scuba diving, dirt biking, skateboarding, hiking and so much more. Injuries and pain management are simply a part of this lifestyle. Its inevitable. I'm okay with it, though. One of my favourite quotes by pro-skier Sierra Quitiquit goes, "give me uncertainty, heartbreak, injuries + defeat. But please, spare me the mundane, mediocre, and certainty of a life void of adventure + freedom." Beautiful. This is why yoga is such a great complement to your favourite activities. Yoga is a healing powerhouse! Whether its physical, emotional, or spiritual healing that needs to be done; yoga is my go-to.
In this particular case, I'm taking about physical healing. I get a lot of questions from people who've hurt themselves, asking what yoga poses they should do, or what route in general they should take to optimize their healing. My answer is always the same: I am not a physiotherapist or doctor. I teach yoga and mostly assist people in injury prevention, but I don't know whether you should stretch or strengthen your injuries. I face this same dilemma every time I get hurt, too. My advice is to seek professional help first, then, depending on the advice given, incorporate yoga and other healing modalities to your daily routine. Yoga is great because it teaches us to listen to our bodies. Avoiding things that bring you pain is an important part in healing. Meditation and pranayama are great, non-invasive ways of promoting healing, also. These tools reduce stress in the body and activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for relaxation, balance, and healing. So does positive thinking. Its extremely important to be as positive as possible during your healing process. Visualize your body working the way you want it to and imagine the activities you'll do once you're healed.
Try my Healing Meditation here!! Most importantly, listen to your body! When you're healing from something, take care and make sure that you avoid things that bring you pain. Pain is the body's way of saying 'something isn't right here.' So always be sure to listen. You're a lot wiser than you think.