Rehabilitation through yoga
For some, the word "Yoga" might bring
to mind ultra-flexible acrobats or meditating
hippies.
But this exercise goes far beyond its stereotype,
say health professionals and yoga instructors.
People who have health conditions limiting their
physical motion can use the activity to get
back into shape.
It can help rehabilitate injuries, chronic
muscle pains and even serious conditions like
osteoporosis, said Amy Bustabade, owner of New
Energy Yoga in Merced.
Yoga involves holding the body in a series
of poses and slowly stretching the muscles.
Breathing exercises are also used to relax the
body and mind.
Poses can be modified for anyone's fitness
level, she said; from life-long athletes to
aging or sedentary bodies.
"I want to get out of the misconception
that you have to be flexible like Gumby to do
yoga," she said.
Above all, anyone with a health condition must
get clearance from a physician before they start
the exercise, said Debbie Chapman, a physical
therapist at Park Avenue Physical Therapy.
"I cannot stress this enough," she
said.
People should inform their yoga instructor
of any health problems to assure poses are modified
for safe workout.
That said, the physical therapist supports
yoga as a way to increase flexibility, strength
and balance.
"Flexibility of the muscles can assist
with increasing joint alignment and reducing
your risk for injury," Chapman said. "Holding
yoga poses will also increase the strength of
the muscles as well as increase the strength
of the bones."
Bustabade offers a class at her studio called
Gentle Restorative Yoga where traditional yoga
poses are modified. Props such as blocks, blankets,
chairs and bolsters are incorporated into the
exercise to provide support.
"It's great for someone who needs something
less strenuous," she said. "Yoga can
be strenuous but this is a gentle way to get
into exercise."
She also offers private sessions for students
who need special care.
Merced resident Muriel Olsen suffers from osteoporosis
in the spine. She keeps in shape with yoga and
pilates.
When someone has osteoporosis, they are losing
bone density at a faster rate than normal and
become at risk for fractures and falls, Chapman
said.
"I think yoga helps me very much,"
Olsen said. "When you build bone mass,
you need to build muscle strength. ... I have
definitely strengthened my back. I used to have
a lot of back pain."
She now takes Hatha Yoga 1 and Slow Flow classes
from Bustabade's studio but has tried the Gentle
Restorative class.
"It's better for beginners," she
said. "It's a good place for people to
start."
She believes yoga has been an important part
of her rehabilitation.
Her bone mass increased 14 percent this year,
she said. She attributes some of this to both
yoga and pilates.
"Of course it's due to many things,"
she said. "Not just exercise but diet."
Claire Osborne, an occupational therapist at
Mercy Medical Center Merced, teaches yoga classes
at work for an employee wellness program.
"It increases body awareness and good
posture," she said. "It decreases
physical and mental tension."
Because yoga increases muscle tone and balance,
it is particularly good for the older population,
she said. It can help prevent falls.
Osborne has also used it in therapy. It is
important to get her patients interested in
exercise and if they enjoy doing yoga, they
are more likely to do it.
It can help people with arthritis, she said.
The condition often affects the hips, and yoga
can increase flexibility of the hips.
"Arthritis is a wear and tear condition,"
she said. "If you have greater mobility,
there is not as much wear and tear in the same
spots."
However, it doesn't get rid of arthritis. Nothing
can do that, she added.
Even without a medical condition, people need
to care for their bodies with the proper exercise,
Bustabade said. Stress and age takes its toll
but can be dealt with in a positive manner.
"There's a reason yoga has been studied
for 5,000 years," she said.
There is a spiritual aspect to the practice,
but Bustabade's classes do not have any religious
overtones. But she does encourage her students
to open their bodies and minds.
"Mercedians, step out of the box,"
she said. "Get off your couch and do something
new."
