Yoga can be great but classes I feel adds a lot of pressure. YouTube ‘Yoga with Adriene’ she had hundreds of videos and most years start a 30 day journey but this year she just did a 7 day reset. There are a variety of classes some just lying in your back with a blanket. She is based in Texas USA and has her furry friend Benji. I found it wonderful during lockdown and tried so hard to do some everyday, since my diagnosis it’s been a bit hit and miss but when I do it I feel lighter. The breath work helps so much as well.
Always worth a try in the comfort of your own home.
I love going to gigs! I can’t wait to get back to that all being well At minute I’m hardly leaving the house. I’m so paranoid with being bald. I’m just feeling low and full of worry re a pain in my side- scared incase there is spread. CT on Friday and I’m praying to get some reassurance
I hope you are well x
My first time out, out during chemo was to present to a group of 50 rugby players. I was bricking myself. Something that came naturally to me was a bag of “I’m wearing a wig, what if they notice and what if my falsie falls out of its pocket?”
No one looked at me twice. No one notices these things - we think they do, they don’t. Or hide it well.
Post treatment when my hair was a bit of fluff I took my amazingly supportive bunch of girlfriends out for lunch. The only people who looked at me were 2 20 somethings who’d spent too much money on very dodgy aesthetics and looked hideous.
Go for it!
I am well thank you and looking forward to a 90 minute drive a bit later with lots of loud noise surrounding me x
Aww, that’s lovely to hear! I hope you find lots to keep you busy. And yes, do listen to Traitors uncloaked from the beginning- it’s very interesting and funny too xx
Have a look at Pink Sheep Designs for super easy crochet patterns big crochet hook super chunky yarn, I crocheted a cardi as a complete beginner in really quick time (that was pre diagnosis, so maybe I’ll do another!)
In my case Yoga sort of found me really. I can remember watching Wake Up to Yoga in the 70 s with my Mum and doing some of it . At middle school our languages teacher turned out also to be a Yoga teacher and did a few extra curricular classes for sone of us that were interested. Later after moving away and taking up Yoga again I found out that she was still regional secretary for the British Wheel of Yoga. Later when I moved back for a while I took the advice of one of my teachers when looking for classes and checked the BWY website - so maybe do that .
Gyms / Church Halls / Community Centres all tend to have classes . If you know someone who goes that can recommend then that’s also good. There’s a vast array of classes - different styles and level of activity and mindfulness. There are classes specifically for beginners as well. In most cases they will let you do a class to see if you like it without having to commit to paying for a course . I work shifts - and only pay for the classes I attend . Most Yoga teachers I know don’t make much money from it they teach for pleasure and to help keep their own practice up. An all round class with some breathing practice posture work and a bit of relaxation would be a good place to start . A good teacher should find out from you about injuries etc. and offer alternatives to anything you can’t do. I’ve been able to keep doing Yoga in some form through every injury and health problems I have had and it’s helped me to recover .
The strength training that you are doing is really commendable and will help you a lot but I’ve never been able to get on with Gyms . I have found that Yoga has helped my strength posture and balance though . Vinyasa Flow is active but if you want a contrast to the Gym then Yin Yoga is gentler and more meditative .
Best wishes for next week and let us know how it all goes xx
@JoanneN i like the idea of the yoga flow, I’ll have a look at that after surgery although I’m apprehensive of exactly what it’s going to be like with my left arm.
it sounds as though you are quite strong and active so you might well enjoy it but make sure that you work up to it. I was impatient after treatment - I fell over and did my rotator cuff trying to rush somewhere when I wasn’t ready to rush. Then I tried a cold water swim too soon - no damage do e but it felt like something was tearing . After radiotherapy I overstretched a bit at Yin class - it didn’t feel like I was overstretching at the time it hurt the next day. Talk about a slow learner ! Be kind to yourself - it can be frustrating .
Somewhat unusually my Vinyasa Flow class is an all year round outdoor one that we do overlooking the sea so I get a nature fix at the same time. Sadly I’m poorly with a virus so I’m not up for that at present
The type of Yoga that @naughty_boob describes is Restorative I think which I have also done . I can recommend that to help with sleep . My Hatha class was started during lockdown and is still going strong and caters for a wide range of ages and abilities . It’s on Zoom obviously so it’s very convenient to do at home but I don’t know how many teachers are offering this now that we’re out of Lockdown . It also features the antics of the teachers very affectionate and playful cat and her new kitten as well now.
I read in your first post about Audio books - these were a great comfort after my retinal vein occlusion. Recently I have been listening to the Just William books read by Martin Jarvis - hilarious . Xx