Restoring after illness

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

After decades of having a hidden serious medical condition, then emergency surgery last year, then slow recovery, it was definitely time to look at some self help for repairing and restoring myself. 

I was s-o-o ready. 

However, fate, destiny, what-ever, stepped in and I was treated to a full-on bout of sciatica. I've never had it before. I was shocked at how painful it was. Could barely walk. Cried quite a lot with pain. It's took weeks to heal. 

One of the things about knowing other healers, is that often I can call on someone for emergency help. So two healers, Debbie and Mark, from the Titirangi Clinic where we do Maori healing, including Romiromi,  Rongoa (native plant medicine), Haputanga (natal), seer stuff (that's me) and such, gave me two treatments, and a walking stick. (very grateful for that stick too). Another friend there, Carolyn, gave me an amazing session as well. Each treatment made so much difference. I followed these up with an osteopath who surprisingly does quite a few similar moves as we do at the clinic. Oh, and I'm not using the walking stick anymore, as the improvement was really quick and dramatic.

I love Romiromi (Maori healing)

I'm a great believer in the Maori healing. It's done so much for me, and others. We use deep tissue massage, and acupuncture points. Sometimes we just do Mirimiri, which is much softer. It really depends on what a person needs at the time.

I'm also a big fan of "self help"

Because I've had scoliosis my whole life (I sound like a walking disaster!), I absolutely always have Deep Heat cream and giant Deep Heat plasters in my bathroom for those days when my back gives me problems. You can also get the big plasters with heat only, or heat and herbs. When I'm having back problems, I just pop one on after a morning shower, and hey presto, instant relief. The heat stops our muscles from contracting and thereby causing pain. We're then able to move freely. And this moving, and walking about, helps one's back to restore.

Honestly, when I was teaching a lot of yoga, I would always suggest these pads for back problems, rather than saying that private yoga classes would clear the problem up. And I also recommend to see an osteopath. In Aotearoa New Zealand, doctors, nurses, dentists, physical therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors... and there could be more, I really don't know. These practitioners have to do years of strong training plus quite a bit of regulated upskilling each year. And they simply do know things that yoga teachers and healers don't really know. It has always bothered me when yoga teachers (and healers) feel that they are qualified in areas that they absolutely are not. I've always been able to give corrective yoga and say what to do, and what  to avoid, and it has often amused me that physio exercises are often the yoga ones that I would have given. However, I do know that myself and other yoga teachers are not at the same level as professionals. I wanted to be sure, too, to have xrays done to check that my hip wasn't dislocated or broken, or did I have a slipped disc? (none of these, thankfully)

Being a creature of habit with yoga

I absolutely always do the same things when I need to recover from something, like covid, the flu, surgery, etc. It's a small daily corrective/maintenance routine for joints, my hips and back, etc, etc. It's actually quite pathetically simple, and I'm sure that many yoga teachers would think that they are not part of yoga. But, um... yes they are. I do them all standing, and it's what I'm using before I start with yoga poses. It only takes a few minutes. And I like to do it each morning whether I'm recovering, or am okay.

Sometimes done 2x each slowly, with deep breathing, sometimes done more times, a bit faster, for each one:

• Neck movements: back and forth, side to side, twist to each side, rotations. 
• Circling the whole shoulder/shoulder blade area, loosening it up, squeezing between the shoulder blades, getting a full range of motion
• Shoulder joint rotations
• Swinging arms and torso from side to side, getting big twisting movements, looking behind as I twist. Start with arms down low, keep twisting until arms are overhead then slowly keep twisting back to start. Definitely more than 2x for this one. I nearly always recommend it for people with back problems, it's so safe and easy and restores mobility really quickly.
• Swing hips only from side to side
• Circling the hips, as though using a hula hoop. This is also great for stiff hips and minor back problems.
• Kick leg forward then back, as high as you can.
• Shake each leg in turn. Then arms and fingers.

This all only takes a few minutes. I do usually add other bits and pieces, however this is my base. Why do I do it? And why recommend it?

• It stops us becoming old crocks as we get older. And I am definitely older.
• Is amazing for starting to restore oneself.  
• Loosens up our body prior to postures

I found an old exercise sheet from the 1980s, part of a shape and dance series. Interestingly, most of the movements were like the above ones, done to music, with much more repetitions. If I was the person who liked music, I would do these exercises that way instead. It would be very effective. And I'd add some squats, and other easy stuff. Holding onto a bench for the squats if necessary.

Which leads onto more yoga

When I'm up to it, I add a couple of modified, really pathetic sun salutes. There are so many versions and I use a really simple one to begin with, for restoring. I just improve on this easy version as I go along. Sun salutes really do keep us fit and graceful. I don't do heaps, five minutes usually, ten minutes would be max for me. But I do them as soon as I can, starting really easy and simple, for restoration. I start with one only for restoring, then slowly build the numbers up. You might prefer something else. 

Recovering from my operation (it took five months to recuperate) and sciatica, I added my floor work after the standing flexibilities until I was up to attempting sun salutes. 

Otherwise, the next step from this routine is floor work, mostly on my back, for mobility etc. More joint and spinal movements, some old fashioned dynamic abdominal yoga stuff, plus other gentle moves and stretches. Probably less than five minutes. To be honest, you can do floor moves on your bed if it's easier. My body progresses really fast when I don't push it. You might be the same. 

And some seated stuff. More joint things really, which take about one minute. And this is also the order in which I slowly add bits and pieces to a morning routine during restoring. By making it short and easy, it's nice to do and I seldom miss doing it.

It's easier to repair, and also to maintain, when we keep it very simple and regular.

I hope that this post gives some simple advice that you can use to regain some movement for restoration. There is tons of yoga, on websites, blogs, books, youtube, offering hard core modern western yoga. Which I also did for years, and taught. I feel that I don't really need to add to what's out there at this level. If the hard stuff is what you aspire to, start easy, and work up to the hard moves. 

I'm always interested in what others do to restore themselves......

Link to my lifestyle post, here

Link for daily posture and breathing practice, here

A  beautiful post about chakras, love, and the Realm between lives on earth, here

Link to our clinic here, in Titirangi, Auckland, plus Paihia, Northland.