Over the last 2 days of YTT, we took some time to examine each other’s postures/spines. Personally, this has been one of the modules of YTT that I have found the most helpful.
As someone with scoliosis (both skeletal and muscular scoliosis- as I have learnt), suffering from constant muscle imbalances and discomfort is something I deal with on a daily basis (and it does have affect my mood as well). It had even put me off yoga for a period of time, as I was building more muscle on one side of my body, and was aggravating the muscle imbalance and discomfort.
However, as we learnt over this weekend, yoga – when used correctly – can in fact be a tool to help to correct scoliosis. Beyond just learning to analyse a person’s spine in detail (e.g. identifying imbalances and which way the knees/body are rotated), I really appreciate the extra time and attention that Jess placed on getting us to develop sequences and provide specific adjustments/instructions to address each person’s issues, and I look forward to putting this into practice.
Beyond the physical teachings, I also appreciate how this week’s lesson has helped me to become more aware of my body, and also trained me to practice more awareness on a daily basis. For example, just remembering to stand completely straight and correct any imbalances has been such a challenge! As we learnt in the first week of YTT, yoga is the “observer observing the observed”. Probably my biggest takeaway of this YTT is learning to bring this practice beyond the mat as well.
