Yoga Physio Therapy

Yoga has been around for hundreds of years. Yoga aims to still the mind. In modern day yoga we are most familiar with asanas, a series of physical poses used to get us into our bodies and out of our heads, thus ‘stilling’ the mind. In many lives today there is constant stimulation from computers, mobile phones, TV, driving and generally having busy and demanding lives. This stimulates the body physically and eventually leads to stress and can result in aches and pains or injury.

Some useful poses are:

1. Child's Pose- Get down onto all fours. Then sit hips back onto feet. Stretch arms out in front and touch forehead to ground. Stay there for 10 slow deep breaths. Feel the lungs fill up in your mid to lower back.
2. Mountain Pose - standing with good posture for 2 minutes. Weight through mid foot, knees soft, hips soft, pelvis neutral position, sternum lifted and lined up with pubic bone, neck long and lifted under back of skull, looking straight ahead. It helps to be assessed for your individual posture by a physiotherapist.
3. Savagsana - relaxation pose at the end of exercise or yoga; lie flat on back, let feet fall outward, keep neck long, arms resting slightly out from your side with palms resting up. Stay there for 5 - 10 minutes observing your breath.

You can use specific poses to return you body to optimal health. Yoga can unwind your body out of stressful and injury prone patterns. Yoga can help you undo patterns that have built up over time. A home program can be given, and its more fun than general stretching. For those already doing yoga, you may be stuck on particular poses. You can be helped by massage (‘hands on treatment’) or joint releases.

Yoga and Physio together may include;

• Assessment of movement patterns and muscle activation by moving through a series of poses
• Correction techniques; knowing where to touch for enhancing muscle control or lengthening tight muscles
• Specific exercise or yoga home program
• Video analysis available

Aim to relieve muscular tightness, realign, restore and reconnect the body to return it to optimal health sooner.

Foot and Ankle Physiotherapy

Namaste :-)

Anna Jane Physio North Sydney has more than 18 years of experiance as a physiotherapist. She has served as team physio to the Australian Freestyle Ski Team.