Acupuncture Anyone?

[Guest guest]

After 5 days of muscle spasms in my neck which

are preventing me from practicing I'm looking for

ways to cope. The first 3 days the pain was

excruciating; it's now gradually getting better though I can't

even imagine trying to gaze up at my hand in

parivritta trikonasana at this point! I'm wondering if

anyone has tried acupuncture for back or neck pain and

if so what results you have had. I'd welcome any

other suggestions too. <br>I've also wondered if others

have had the same experiences I'm having with regard

to the practice healing different areas of the body.

I feel that my practice is systematically working

through my body to cleanse/improve it physically where it

is most needed. For example my shoulder pain due to

a rotator cuff injury was something I had trouble

with for years. After working through the pain for

several months it seems to have resolved itself.

Hopefully working through this neck pain as soon as I am

able to practice again will get me closer to resolving

it for good.<br>Namaste<br>LIL

[Guest guest]

I have used accupuncture/massage at various times

with different ailments for the past 7 years. I have

always had great results, not to mention a fantastic

massage. I injured my hamstring in the cold gymnasium when

I was practicing with Guruji in Carlsbad. I had a

two month period of trying things which did not work.

Then Tim Miller suggested I try a chiropractor who

also does kinesiology (and a yogi as well). He has

worked miracles on my leg and other parts of my mind and

body too. I would encourage you to seek treatment from

an experienced practitioner of accupuncture or

kinesiology. Don't know where you live or I would reccommend

people. Good Luck.

[Guest guest]

I tried accupuncture for my sciatica a few months

ago. Although the pain I was suffering from then could

in no way be described as excruciating, it was a

persistent and dull aching. The treatment definitely helped

although it took a few days, then I suddenly realised that

my leg felt a whole lot better, I also noticed an

amazing improvement in my flexibility, however this only

lasted a month or so.The sciatica is a whole lot better

still though I'm getting a few twinges with the cold

weather.<br><br>If you can afford it it is worth a go.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info kiranken. I live in the Philadelphia area and if there is

anyone nearby that you can recommend I'd appreciate it.

[Guest guest]

I live in the San Diego are and I don't know

anyone out there. I would talk to your fellow yogis and

see if anyone can reccomend a good accupuncturist. I

have always found the combination of massage and

accupuncture to be the way to go, most will do both. They are

licensed and certified by the board of accupuncture so if

you have to look in the yellow pages use that as a

guide. My husband is a physician and he tried it for a

neck, upper back problem and he was also cured.

[Guest guest]

I sympathize with your neck pain as I have some

experience in that area. How did it start? I found that for

me stopping my practise was not the way to go as

long as my practise was not the reason for for my

pain. If my neck is sore I usually find relief if I

back off and dont force things. Its a bit ackward

until I'm warmed up but then I can feel the relief. Its

also a good time to see how the neck should be used in

the postures because if you force it it is

excruiating! Ashima also means nonviolence to yourself. Muscle

spasm feeds on itself and a nice slow practise well

back from your edge might help.

[Guest guest]

I like ashima much better - it is new and makes

me think (like, what is the meaning of this. Oh!...

Well...what IS the meaning of this.) (it doesn't work if you

don't get the emphasis in the intonation right. Think

Farley)<br><br>Neckpain - I pulled a muscle in some enthusiastic

neckrolls or whatever earlier this year. Well, this is a

little injury that mimicked a hamstring injury very well

- it took a LO-O-ONG time to get better, and longer

to totally go away. You have to back off of whatever

strains it that you're doing (for me it was aggravated by

chakrasana)( something in which my neck felt more passive than

active which made it vulnerable when pushed too

far)<br><br>Just thought I'd share.

[Guest guest]

I didn't want to bore everyone, but since you

asked fubarr ca, my neck pain seems to have been a

gradual progression for the last several months. I tend

to tense up my shoulders and neck when stressed and

almost always have some degree of discomfort in these

areas, however, it got to be a real problem during my

practice last Wed. and that's why I've been hesitant to

begin practicing too soon. The muscle spasms have

stopped, but there is a lot of residual soreness. I

finally feel ready today (almost a week later...yes I'm

not very good at being patient!) to begin slowly and

things seem to be ok. I did have a massage yesterday and

am still looking into recommendations for

acupuncture via friends. Thanks for your encouragement

[Guest guest]

I dont want to over step here but your neck

problems could be related to how you approach the postures

and your life. It was/is for me and now that I look

back it was so damn obvious. There are anatomical

problems but they arise from the "other place" and will

only subside from learning how to be at peace. I

apologize for intruding but I couldnt ignore your last post

because it sounds alot like myself. I always have trouble

with the simple things.

[Guest guest]

<<There are anatomical problems but they

arise from<br> the "other place" and will only subside

from learning how to be at peace.

>><br><br>"Fear, the Spartans observed, accumulates in specific

sites in the body -- in the muscles of the jaw, neck,

and eyes, in the shoulder girdles, the lungs and

heart, hands and knees, loins and back. Therefore, they

reasoned, if the tensed muscles in these sites can be

relaxed, the cycle of fear that leads to panic can be

interrupted. To accomplish this, they developed a series of

exercises that creates an exquisite awareness of the

muscular holding patterns in various parts of the body

that accompany fear. Once aware of the muscular

tension, the master of phobologia [the science of fear]

can relax the mind and become fearless -- aphobic --

in the presence of danger."<br>Sam Keen, "Learning

to Fly"

[Guest guest]

Nice quote. Many have asked about advancing

through the series and ways to quicken flexibility but

fear is rarely considered as a culprit. In my

observations of students over the years, I am always struck by

how much fear is a limiting factor in their

advancement. Fear can be subtle ranging to near panic but the

net result is a person working against themself. With

Sri KP @ the helm of a class, he states the obvious,

"why you fearing" and delivers the remedy, "loose it".

This can be dificult when the body is stretched to its

max (real or imagined). The exhale is the key to

achieve the Guru's directive.<br><br>Yours in yoga,

[Guest guest]

fubarr ca,<br>I don't think you're overstepping

at all; in fact the things you said are all things

that I've been thinking about myself. And it made me

think of a quote from a book I like which I thought I'd

share:<br><br>"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses

your understanding. Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician

within you heals your sick self."<br><br>It's from

Kahlil Gibran's book "The Prophet"

[Guest guest]

To ladyin lotus-<br>Please read John Sarno's oft

mentioned book "Healing Back Pain." It changed my life, and

I'd bet it could help you too.<br><br>To

edenlotus-<br>The video "Prenatal Yoga with Collete Crawford" (she

is an Iyengar teacher) was recommended, as was the

book "Planning for birth with Yoga" by Janet Balaskas.

Both recommendations were seconded by my

guruji-certified ashtanga teacher. <br><br>To monkeymind-<br>Did

you ever get my email about lookouts?<br><br>hu

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the prenatal book and video

recommendations, I really appreciate it. So far all I have is a

book with one of Iyengar's daughters doing headstands

the day before she gave birth, but the text is kind

of kooky.

[Guest guest]

How true. The element of "going beyond" is

essential to any kind of endeavor, and applies to

flexibility as well as strenght and balance. In my view, the

only way to get there is to go there...a cosmic law of

sorts.<br>For example, I've seen people practice handstands,

for years, up against the wall, never daring to free

balance and risk falling. If they only knew that the only

way to do the free handstand is to...simply do it.

And you will fall no doubt...but you get up and do it

again and this time you're a little better at it.

Practicing against the wall is like practicing walking with

a crutch -- maybe a nice babystep for a month or

so, but in the long run won't lead to actual

freewalking.<br><br>More and more I'm finding that what I was initially

told about flexibility when i began yoga-- that it's

largely a state of mind -- is absolutely true. Moving

incrementally with complete breaths, you can progress into what

you thought was impossible. Time is a factor here, as

for example getting into pashasana or full kurmasana

for the first time might require 2 minutes of mindful

incremental movement; afterwards, the body seems to remember

the new pathway making future progress easier.

<br><br>In a sense, progress through more advanced asanas is

working against homeostatis. The body rebels against

changing limits of flexibility. So too, the mind also

rebels against the unfamiliar and hold patterns of how

far your body "should" be going into a pose. Imagery,

breathing, time, intense focus, patience and faith are all

helpful factors in re-educating the body and mind out of

tamas.