For as long as I’ve been in the fitness industry, I’ve always put off trying yoga because it looked like it was just stretching, and I never really saw anyone that was truly fit doing it.

It wasn’t until I tried the P90X power Yoga DVD that I became hooked! I loved how intense it was and how I was stretching, elongating and
strengthening muscles didn’t normally work. The core twisting postures felt as if they were releasing any impingements in my hips and lower back. The balance postures help me tackle an area of my fitness that I had never really tapped into… Isometric exercises and working on balance.

I had herniated a disc back in August of 2007 while training for one of my upcoming motorcycle races. I got relief after some Inversion and chiropractic treatments. I still felt little twinges here and there on occasion that just let me know I wasn’t out of the woods with my back pain.

It wasn’t until I started doing Yoga that I noticed the occasional twinges going away. I can abuse my back to no end with my training and motorcycle riding as long as I do yoga 1 – 2x per week in conjunction to my normal workout program.

I’m a big believer in Yoga as the one way to stay back pain free. I’ve been a personal trainer for 10 years and I’ve finally been grabbed by the Yoga bug. I love power yoga and I’ve recently begun doing Bikram Yoga. I love it. It’s not as intense as power Yoga but just stretching in the 103 degree room helps you become even more and more limber. I actually wore my heart rate monitor last time I was in there and I averaged 140 beats per minute during the 90 minute class.

Yoga is a great addition to my current strenuous workouts. I don’t think that anyone who practices yoga 2x per week could have back pain. The
flexibility and strength that it gives you in your hips, lower back and muscles is incredible. I also agree with Joy that there’s nothing better for healing the body of muscle imbalances. I’ve identified many imbalances in my hips and these would have certainly caused me great pain and injury in the future.

As the owner of a personal training company that serves the Maryland, Washington DC, and Northern Virginia area www.achieve-fitness.com I’ve been recommending yoga to all of our clients and trainers.

Dennys Passeto, CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Owner of Achieve Fitness personal Training, LLC
www.achieve-fitness.com

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LLOYD’S TESTIMONIAL

I am happy to give a testimonial for your book because coming to your Thursday classes and introducing me to your teacher, Mary Stewart, made a difference to my physical wellbeing that I will always be grateful for.

I’d always been really fit and played football and squash on a regular basis, however, about 15 years ago I developed an acute back problem that was so crippling, I couldn’t even touch my toes. As for playing football, well forget that!

At that time, just sitting still on a chair was a challenge. When you saw how much pain I was in, you encouraged me to come to your yoga class but I was sceptical. However, the pain got so bad that I decided to give yoga a try. After all, I thought, what have I got to lose? One night, it was so bad, I decided, I would just turn up at the class.

I have to admit, initially, it was a real challenge. I couldn’t do half the things that others in the class could manage. However, as I got to know the group, I realised that everyone had their own individual problems, and they encouraged me to keep at it.

It wasn’t easy confronting my limitations, and it was hard for someone like me, whose buzz was high performance sports, to be patient in terms of results. However, Joy created an environment which was supportive and friendly and we learned how to help each other and have fun too. Over the years the class became a really important part of my life, and this was completely unexpected. To my surprise, I found myself wanting to practice on my own, and even to this day, I still practice and enjoy the benefits it brings.

Attending your Thursday class Joy, completely changed my life, for the better, and allowed me to return to playing high performance sports e.g. squash and football, which I still play today. It’s a tribute to your teaching that you inspired me to take yoga into my life and make it work for me.

Lloyd Douglas
Social Worker
London
UK

Filed under: Testimonials, Yoga for Back Pain, Yoga for Back Pain Workshops by Yogagirl
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