I lead a double life. That may be slightly dramatic, but I work as a building contractor before slipping on the spandex on to teach or practice yoga in the evenings. During the day, I am either behind my desk or the wheel of a truck. In the evenings I am eager to get to my mat and move. This transition was seamless in my 20s, but in the last few years, not as easy! One of the many amazing lessons I learned from Yoga Tune Up® teacher training was taking responsibility for my own body – ALWAYS. I had unconsciously assumed that whipping in and out of demo pose or jumping in to assist a student at an awkward angle was just part of the territory. This was too much for my protesting low back and QL in particular. Using quick Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball sessions with targeted YTU poses like my favourite Boomerang on the floor AND staying aware of my movements on and off the mat will ensure that I can lead my double life for decades to come! (See my previous post for a video clip of lower back ball work!)
Nancy began practicing ashtanga yoga while studying in Montreal. It seemed like a perfect fit from her background of ballet and martial arts and degree in Physiology. She began teaching in 2004, and shortly after joined the De La Sol team in Hamilton to share her passion with others. Learning the Yoga Tune Up® philosophy was like hearing the other shoe drop to find, at last, her pose of equal standing. YTU has provided the framework to create change in her own body, her teaching and inspired a deeper focus into yoga therapy.
This post really resonates with me as I too lead a double life of sorts. During the night (or so it seems) I work as a flight attendant and during the day I practice and teach movement (primarily bodyweight strength and kettlebell training). It’s not long that I’ve been religiously using the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls, but now I can’t imagine my life without them!
This is a revelation of major importance as we age. I too have experienced the “whoa, why’s it becoming harder to bounce around life” thoughts. Aging gracefully is not achieved through neglect of the body, doubly so if you’re one to celebrate it’s use. Teaching movement arts puts is own kind of energetic and physical wear on our bodies, we need to address and balance this as much if not more than our student’s, especially when the aging element is thrown into the game. Tools like the YTU Therapy ball self-massage, coupled with the laser beam focus of YTU’s attentive pose work and exercises, won’t stop the aging process, but they will ensure you can cope with the inevitable as gracefully as possible.
[…] 16 Category: Back Pain | Tags: Back Pain, self massage, therapy balls, yoga tune up Therapeutic trigger point massage has numerous benefits for the body: it flushes the tissues with fresh blood and lymph, […]
I lead a double life too but it’s just about sitting at a desk all day! When i keep the Yoga Tune Up balls at my desk and often use them against the back of my chair and press my low back into them, or get up and roll against the wall…(thankfully i have an office to myself or that would seem weird…) I find they help release so much tension so i can go teach or practice after work. I’ve given yoga tune up balls to several coworkers who were intrigued with mine. Everyone loves them and i can’t wait to share more with my coworkers after i finish the training.
I love to hear women who are not stuck on this whole concept of traditional jobs – I think that the fact you can go from what people might consider a man like job to a yoga teacher at night – What a wonderful balance!
This is great advice for those leading their double life or simply just trying to make it through life. I also like your input as a yoga teacher, I am currently in the YTU teacher training and Jill is always bringing it to our attention how some of us have the tendency to making head and neck movements to look around the room, like me often do as teachers. I consistently do this or half get in a pose as I scan the room for those who need help. This such an important thing to be brought to my attention as I turn inward and create deeper awareness.
I too find that my YTU balls are a quick opener for my transition between my daily life and the yoga studio. In fact, I have a set at my desk for a quick break from being humped over the computer or on the phone. If you hear some heavy breathing from me when we are on the phone during the day….. not to worry…. I am probably just on my back, rolling it out on my YTU balls 🙂
This post really resonates with me as I too lead a double life of sorts. During the night (or so it seems) I work as a flight attendant and during the day I practice and teach movement (primarily bodyweight strength and kettlebell training). It’s not long that I’ve been religiously using the Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Balls, but now I can’t imagine my life without them!
This is a revelation of major importance as we age. I too have experienced the “whoa, why’s it becoming harder to bounce around life” thoughts. Aging gracefully is not achieved through neglect of the body, doubly so if you’re one to celebrate it’s use. Teaching movement arts puts is own kind of energetic and physical wear on our bodies, we need to address and balance this as much if not more than our student’s, especially when the aging element is thrown into the game. Tools like the YTU Therapy ball self-massage, coupled with the laser beam focus of YTU’s attentive pose work and exercises, won’t stop the aging process, but they will ensure you can cope with the inevitable as gracefully as possible.
[…] 16 Category: Back Pain | Tags: Back Pain, self massage, therapy balls, yoga tune up Therapeutic trigger point massage has numerous benefits for the body: it flushes the tissues with fresh blood and lymph, […]
I lead a double life too but it’s just about sitting at a desk all day! When i keep the Yoga Tune Up balls at my desk and often use them against the back of my chair and press my low back into them, or get up and roll against the wall…(thankfully i have an office to myself or that would seem weird…) I find they help release so much tension so i can go teach or practice after work. I’ve given yoga tune up balls to several coworkers who were intrigued with mine. Everyone loves them and i can’t wait to share more with my coworkers after i finish the training.
I love to hear women who are not stuck on this whole concept of traditional jobs – I think that the fact you can go from what people might consider a man like job to a yoga teacher at night – What a wonderful balance!
This is great advice for those leading their double life or simply just trying to make it through life. I also like your input as a yoga teacher, I am currently in the YTU teacher training and Jill is always bringing it to our attention how some of us have the tendency to making head and neck movements to look around the room, like me often do as teachers. I consistently do this or half get in a pose as I scan the room for those who need help. This such an important thing to be brought to my attention as I turn inward and create deeper awareness.
I too find that my YTU balls are a quick opener for my transition between my daily life and the yoga studio. In fact, I have a set at my desk for a quick break from being humped over the computer or on the phone. If you hear some heavy breathing from me when we are on the phone during the day….. not to worry…. I am probably just on my back, rolling it out on my YTU balls 🙂