I could not heal without Yoga

Today I woke up in awful pain. My legs were tight, my hamstrings not wanting to move, in about an hour I could barely walk, my back was killing me and it felt as if the sciatic nerve was pinched.  I tried to go shopping for some things we needed for the house and was rubbing my back the entire time.

So ... many would at this point want to take a tylenol or advil and go lie down... but I know better.  I know that with a 15 to 20 minute stretching session, I'd be healed.  CRAZY but all too true. So down goes my yoga mat and I proceed to go through, by memory, the Jermaine Jones Yoga for Conditioning "Muscle Maintenance" routine.  It is easy, painless and no hassle.  Now I'm up sharing this experience and actually feel pretty good.  The muscles are no longer in knots. no longer tight.  I still feel the ache of the workout (on WEDNESDAY do you believe it can do this, this long away from when I worked out!?) but now I will heal correctly. 

See the trailer for this awesome DVD here!

Know that muscle ache and fatigue is completely normal throughout your training, in fact I long for it.  The aching muscles bring on adrenaline and a vast array of healing hormones and amino acids that actually give us pleasure. We love the feel of the healing!!  As long as we aren't injured. Injury comes from improper healing, and improper technique.

I've taken a look and the simplest stretches you could incorporate are in the photo below. Never stetch to the point of pain, only feel the muscle pull somewhat... if you are feeling REAL pain stop and go back slowly... it should never hurt sharply, only a dull pull is what you want to feel. This increases your flexibility and stops the pinching of the nerve that is in your lower back running down both entire legs.  Always seek some assistance from a professional trainer at a local gym if you have any doubts of your form or how far to go!! Find what works for you and add it to a daily regime - whatever you find -  Keep it up!!

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