Tag Archives: meditation

Why Yoga?

September 22, 2016BlogExercise Physiologist, Exercise Physiology, fitness, health, meditation, physio, Physiotherapy, relaxation, sleep, stress, wellness, yogaFirst in Physio

In a society where “busy” and “stressed” are the new buzz words and it’s considered abnormal to be “relaxed and well, thanks”, one may say why NOT yoga? We are so busy and stressed now in our lives that it would seem we need a formal class time to allocate towards self-care, mindfulness and relaxation. Yoga is good for that. But so is running, swimming, walking – actually, any form of exercise will get the endorphins flowing and act like a moving kind of meditation if you can find a way to enjoy it. Pilates certainly falls into that category too. Many of my Pilates clients come for relaxation benefits as well as the core work that is on offer. So why are we here at First In Physio embarking on the yoga journey and offering classes at our studio?

The simple answer would be because there is a demand for it. We get asked on a weekly basis if we run Yoga classes, and there are many people in the area who have benefited from Yoga in the past when there have been classes held locally. They can all tell me stories of how it impacted their lives and bodies for the better; I even have one patient who told me she conceived her fourth child because of Yoga! (I’m going to say that’s because of the mental health benefits, not her newfound flexibility…).
The complex answer is because it has changed my life. And knowing the impact it has had on my life, I almost feel a responsibility to bring classes to the area so that others can also reap the benefits.

Those who know me or have followed my journey to attempt to race an Ironman triathlon a year after having my baby boy Jude, would know that the shit hit the fan in a spectacular manor a couple of weeks out from race day when I got glandular fever. That was in February of this year, and for 6 months afterwards I was allowed to do very minimal training of the type I like most – high intensity and/or long swim, bike and running sessions. In order to recoup my body (and mind), I was allowed to do only gentle exercise with a low heart rate and low stress on the body. Those who know me would also vouch for the fact that I am extremely “Type A” and would probably hit the top 3 on their “least likely to meditate….or relax at all for that matter” list. So I wasn’t a likely yogi. But desperate times and all that….

Enter Yoga.

I signed up to online yoga classes and spent most early mornings when I would normally be out pounding the pavement, instead “rolling around on the floor” as my husband would say watching the sun come up out on our deck. Twisting my repairing body into positions of flexibility it hasn’t been into since my dancing days, getting stronger through my core in ways that are unique to Yoga, and calming my breathing and mind into a state of pure relaxation and acceptance in the mediation component (aaahhhh Savasana).

I have always maintained that “running is my therapy”, and indeed I would still argue that. I have never in my life come across anything that offers even close to those benefits for me – that makes me feel as calm, happy and relaxed as running does. But Yoga, well, it comes pretty damn close.
So that’s my “Why Yoga”. But what can you get out of yoga?

Well there’s pregnancy, according to my patient, so there’s that. Then there’s the improved flexibility, especially for males. We treat so many males who have a physical job like building or plumbing and struggle as they lose flexibility and fitness over time. Often we end up treating them for back injuries in their 30’s because the demands of their work life are outweighing their core strength and stability. Engaging in a regular yoga practice can help to prevent or treat their issues, essentially allowing them to extend their healthy work life which is a priceless benefit if that job is the only one they plan on doing in this lifetime. Yoga is also popular with male and female athletes alike, for good reason – often the “10 percenters” like stretching, massage, and core work get pushed to last on the priority list and as a result often niggles start to creep into the picture. Weekly yoga gives you an hour of benefits for your body and “brownie points” with your coach (and Physio…). I actually can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from the physical benefits of yoga, and the practice is such that any age, gender and ability is able to do it – it’s designed to be your practice, and there are so many variations that you will always be able to find a level that suits you. The whole essence of yoga lies in non-competition – it is not about being “the best” or “the most flexible”, it’s about staying on your mat and focusing inwards on yourself, treating yourself with compassion.

The real magic though lies in the mental health benefits. Yoga has been around for centuries and practiced worldwide, so it’s no surprise that there is a plethora of research available to prove what Yogi’s have known since its inception: yoga actually makes you smarter (1), makes you sleep better (2), improves depression symptoms, lowers cortisol (our stress hormone), and makes you happier (3). A consistent yoga practice can lead to a highly improved outlook on life through better sleep, improved mood and the ability to be more compassionate towards yourself, your family and people in general. Not to mention that you get to live in a body that moves well, because of the physical asanas of yoga: Win-Win.

So it sounds too good to be true, right? I’ve been blessed through this journey to meet and be taught by some seriously enlightened Yogis, and I must say they are some of the most amazing humans I have ever come across. I am only at the start of my personal Yoga journey, and I’m so excited to be able to teach the practice of Yoga to those who choose to come along for the ride. If you’ve always been curious about Yoga, or even if you have no idea about it but you struggle with body aches and pains, or poor sleep, or stress…..the list goes on….. then why not give it a try? You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. Our classes will be aimed at the beginner to intermediate level, and every single body is welcome – old or young, Ironman or couch potato, man or child.

If you are interested in joining our yoga classes, please give our friendly receptionists a call on 4783 7284. We have early morning, lunchtime and evening classes on offer.

Namaste.

Kristy

B.Appl.Sc(HMS) Hons; M.PHTY

Principal Physiotherapist, First In Physio.

Kristy is the co-owner of First In Physio along with her husband Patrick, who is also a Physiotherapist. When not at work or spending time with her baby boy, Kristy can be found in the pool or out on the roads training for long course triathlons, traveling around the countryside to races with her family or doing Yoga.

1. In a recent study aptly titled, Neuroprotective Effects of Yoga Practice, the brains of experienced yoga practitioners were compared to those of non-practitioners with similar health profiles. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), researchers at The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health were able to identify regions of activity and growth. As a result, this study found that a regular practice combining breath awareness, physical postures and meditation can increase the volume of gray matter (brain tissue) in different parts of the brain, effectively reducing the naturally occurring, age-related decline of brain cells. With most of the observed gray matter volume changes having occurred in the left-side of the brain, the implication is that yoga shifts the automatic response of the practitioner from fight-or-flight (right-brain, sympathetic nervous system activation resulting in acute physical stress) to rest-and-digest (left-brain, parasympathetic nervous system activation promoting calm and relaxation)

2. K. M. Mustian, O. Palesh, L. Sprod, L. J. Effect of YOCAS yoga on sleep, fatigue, and quality of life: A URCC CCOP randomized, controlled clinical trial among 410 cancer survivors. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting Abstracts. Vol 28, No 15_suppl (May 20 Supplement), 2010: 9013

3. Woodyard C. Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life. Int J Yoga 2011;4:49-54

The Upside of Injury

October 20, 2015Blogcoach, doctor, exercise, exercise rehabilitation, Injuries, injury management, injury prevention, Ironman, low back pain, meditation, Overuse Injury, pain, Physiotherapist, Physiotherapy, plantar fasciitis, pregnancy, safe, Shin Splints, sport, sports physician, strength and conditioning, stress fracture, surgery, Training, TriathlonFirst in Physio

Status Update: “Broken”.

Most athletes and a fair share of non-athletes have been there. The nature of our profession is that for the most part, we see people when they are down and out; our job is to diagnose the damage and to build them back not just to par, but to stronger than they were before the injury. My usual position as a Physiotherapist is to guide my patients from the tough day of diagnosis, through the often lengthy rehab process and safely back into their return to sport. We often get quite close to our patients and as athletes ourselves, ride the journey with them. In 2013 I was unlucky enough to flip the coin and be the one sitting in the sports physician’s office trying to swallow the gravity of my own injury situation: a stress fracture gone wrong following my latest Ironman triathlon. I think in this situation it’s arguably easier knowing less rather than more – I knew before the lovely Dr Chris Ball told me that I was looking down the barrel of major foot surgery, and a very long time away from my beloved sport.

What it looks like to finish an Ironman on a broken foot…it ain’t pretty!

Injury of any kind sucks, and I always advocate well-managed injury prevention program as “Plan A” but in reality, injuries happen – most athletes don’t have the most solid grasp on their self-preservation dial (and hey, I was beating my husband by 2 hours in that Ironman – there was no way I was pulling the pin so close to the end!). Jokes aside, there can be a silver lining. The team you have around you and your attitude are key to getting through the rough patch and flying out the other side as a more resilient and stronger athlete. As tough as injuries can be, I have learnt over the years from the process with countless patients as well as from my own experience post- foot surgery that there can indeed be a few upsides to injury:

Learning opportunities:
- First and foremost, immediate questions need to be asked: What is the best course of treatment for short and long term outcomes? What are my options? (often there are a few good ones, especially where surgery vs conservative treatments are involved). How long will I have off my sport? Will this affect work/school etc?
- Once a course of treatment has been set that you as well as your health care team are happy with, the less urgent but just as important questions need to be asked: What went wrong? What will I do differently next time? Where is the weak link in the chain? How do we (as in, you and your Physio +/- surgeon and sports physician) build the body back to a point where it’s stronger than before? How can I prevent this from happening again? Do we need to change things upon return to sport (training load, technique, footwear etc)? Knowledge is power, and I cannot reiterate enough that you need to ask and ask until you get the answers that you need; your sanity during your rehab and your ability to avoid injury in the future depends on it. If you aren’t happy with your physio/doctor/surgeon, then find another one – you need to find the best quality care at all costs to get the best results.

Respect for your body’s boundaries:
- So you found that mystical line in the sand, the actual safe limit of what your body can achieve; many never find it so you can take one thing away from the situation and that is that as an athlete, you are tough! But going forwards, if your injury was “overuse” in nature (ie stress fractures, tendinopathies etc) then you need to respect that boundary. Learn from it and take note of your body’s cues in future training and racing scenarios.
- If your injury was more traumatic in nature (eg broken tibia from a soccer clash or dislocated shoulder from a cycling accident), then there’s not a lot more you can do other than accept that playing sports involves risks. Given a choice, you’d still take those risks to sitting on the couch getting fat and unhealthy, right?!

An Attitude of Gratitude:
- There’s nothing better than that moment your surgeon (or doctor or physio) gives you the go-ahead to do some exercise. Even if it’s technically “rehab” – “I’ll take it!” you yell as you hug them (Ok exaggeration. Only slightly though.) Prior to a major injury you may be guilty of complaining when the alarm clock goes off at stupid o’clock, if it’s cold/hot/raining; if the session is too hard…or not hard enough….If your race didn’t go perfectly, and so on. Afterwards I can honestly say that every single step I take is done with an “attitude of gratitude” – my coach and husband will vouch for the fact that every run is a bonus, every race is a bonus, and I am thankful to be able to have a fit, strong and healthy body again. Hell, I’m even grateful to be able to do the housework these days – taking an independent person and attaching them to crutches for 3 months is enough to send anyone crazy! I have been guilty of treating my body somewhat like a rental car in the past, but I now appreciate it and treat it much more lovingly (Karma, my friends, Karma…).

Mental Toughness:
- And by this I don’t mean your ability to push through and “eat the pain” as my husband would say – if you got injured in the first place by pushing too far you definitely don’t need to learn this. But in my experience it’s often the athletes who are able to blindly push through that are also in need of some mental “balance”. I am by no means exempt from this generalisation. I took the time after my surgery to finally learn how to slow down and meditate (I highly recommend it, you’ll never look back), as well as to focus on other things in my life other than training 20 hours a week and working full time. It was not the most fun I’ve ever had – by choice I would much rather be working and training! – but it has taught me a sense of balance which I had never had in my life before, and I think that this has benefitted both aspects of my life well after the initial injury period. For most athletes I would therefore consider the slowing down process as “building mental toughness”, even if it’s not the traditional sense of the phrase.

Absorption of training:
- A wise triathlete (Emma Snowsill) once said that if you don’t allow your body to rest, it will force you to via sickness or injury. I would put pregnancy in the same category here simply because the reduced training load while you’re growing a human has the same affect – time to let the body take stock. To absorb all the months/years of training it has done, and to build back a little stronger. As physios we educate patients on how a bone will actually be stronger where it broke after the healing has occurred, because extra bone is laid down in the healing process; this is a nice metaphor for the entire healing process of the body. Reassure yourself that you WILL come back from the injury, and that all the training you’ve done in the past will not be gone.

Sesamoid bone graft and 1st Metatarsal dorsiflexion osteotomy on my Right foot, done in 2013 by Dr Ben Forster

So there you have it, my version of what I’ve learnt through injury in a nutshell. I’ve kept many details of the injury and whole rehab process pretty close to my chest up to this point; as a physio it is not the easiest boat to be in. Physiotherapy may be my “day job” and I certainly love it, but I am first and foremost an “athlete” and in the past have certainly had trouble switching that part of my personality off, even if the Physio part of my brain is telling me something is a bad idea. As I get older and more experienced with both Physiotherapy and Ironman racing, I am learning how to strike the balance but it is always a work in progress. I am very fortunate to have two very patient and understanding men in my life in my husband Patrick Shannon and my coach Scott DeFilippis. Without them I would not be on track to be lining up again for Ironman NZ in 4 months’ time – 1 year post-baby and just over 2 years post foot surgery.

Hopefully this post will hit home with a few “broken” athletes out there and help to get you through and back to your passion. If you would like to follow my journey back to the Ironman start line you can find me on Instagram (@KRISTY_SHANNON), I’d love to have you along for the ride!

Kristy Shannon

B.Appl.Sc(HMS); B.PHTY(Hons)

Director and Principal Physiotherapist First In Physio

Tag Archives: meditation

Why Yoga?

The Upside of Injury

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