Finally I made it into my chiropractor today, my friend, Dr. Tony and my beloved massage therapist Leo. I waited the whole weekend to visit with him. This weekend was terrible and I hope my lowest point. I think I mentioned I pulled the muscles in lower back lifting up from the bed. That was it. I could barely walk after driving in the car for fifteen minutes. I got to the yoga studio and lied on my back on a rolled thick towel. The heat immediately started to help. Kris could see that I was walking to left. It's obvious at this point that I have some herniated bulging discs. That was early Saturday. Let me take a breath. Saturday night my six year old stepped on a peanut shell at Five Guys and touched his shoe. Little guy immediately began to react to the peanut. And off we went to the ER. It was a traumatic night for him and my spine.
Every time I'm in the yoga room or in the heat it gets better. I start to stand up straight, my stomach and my spine aren't twisted. Even my guts start to get twisted, I'm sure affection my organ function.
Today I made it in to see Dr. Tony. My walk is off, everything is crooked. Great. I have to work on my core more. The doctor told me I should especially focus my gluts. I'm on it. No I'm not. I haven't done one back bend on the wall in at least a week and a half. In the back ward bends you have to squeeze your ass like a rock. I have to. I guess it's time to start putting my hands on Kris's new studio walls. I've got tomorrow. I've got tonight, some camel before bed. Hah, maybe I should try grabbing the sheets like how Mary said. She said after she had her car accident she would set up in camel next to her bed and pull on the sheet as she backbended. Mary would hold camel posture for 10 minutes before she went to bed and in the morning before she woke up. I'll give it a try.
For a silly moment I thought surgery might be an option. Right now I think the pain is starting to get emotional for me. I can't go there. I wish I could get my spine adjusted everyday. When I was in bad shape the first time I went to that first back bend clinic and got spinal adjustments everyday or every other day at the most. What an amazing treatment if you can find time and money to do that. Surgery isn't that answer, in fact its the answer for maybe 1% of people who end up living pain free.
Well, good night...yes, good night.
This is me before pregnancy attempting to heal my spine. I succeeded through yoga, controlled diet, and a positive mental attitude. After the birth of my son here I go, starting all over. This my journey to heal my spine once and for all: bad back, overweight, post par-tum, pregnancy and yoga, Bikram Yoga, juicing, backbending, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, inflammation, raw foods, meditation, mothering, nursing, organizing my life to be a better stronger me.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Why me!
Yesterday, after a great yoga class I stood up and over used the muscles in my later back. Today after a struggle in my class my muscles just seem to get tighter and tighter. I can't get emotional about it because I stop breathing. Tomorrow the, plan is to back bend while my crew, does the advanced. I'm staying away from sugar starting fresh and green. Oh God!
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Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Raw Food and Hot Yoga Benefits
I would love to meet Tonya Zavasta. There is also a biography about her on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tonya-Zavasta/110089422378100?ref=ts She credits her mobility and vitality after 11 hip surgery's to eating a raw food diet and Bikram Yoga. Knowing about people like this makes me want to push forward even more. It doesn't matter who you are or what your problems are. You have the capability to help yourself. That struck me, what she says in this video, "all you have to do is want to help". That is great.
Raw recipes
http://juliepelaez.net/2010/11/share-your-favorite-raw-recipe/
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Apollo Jet Says Thank You
Street Car Fun Thank You 3x5 folded card
Shutterfly custom photo thank you cards and notes.
View the entire collection of cards.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Let's Be Clear About My Back
If I could show you an x-ray of my spine I would. To be clear, I have at the lower lumber digenerative disc disease. Meaning, two of my disc's because of trauma have lost a great deal of the fluid that keeps them thick and spongy, like a tire that is full to the max. They have become flat and thin. The injury probably happened at least 10 years ago. At the time when it initially happened I took muscle relaxers to ease the pain and left it at that. I never knew about yoga or nutrition as a remedy.
Then about 2 in half years ago I turned the wrong way and I threw my back out. It was horrible. For about three months on the daily basis my movement was limited. By this time I was teaching yoga and it was embarrassing to walk up to the podium crooked. I had signed up for a back bend clinic in Boulder Colorado. Esak Garcia was leading this clinic mostly to train people for yoga competition. One of training modalities he used was backbending or walking up and down the wall repetitively to change the structure of the spine. I didn't believe at time before going to the clinic that I should go. So I called him before the clinic was to take place and told him of my condition. But this time my back was so bad I couldn't lie down or sit and my organ functions were being affected. Esak told me I had to come to the clinic, that it would be make my back feel better. I believed him and so I went. I set up a tent in from of the Boulder studio and did what he said. I did close to 100 back bends a day and took one Bikram Yoga class for two weeks. It was there at that clinic that I met Mary Jarvis, a teacher of Bikram for at the time 25 years. Mary was hit by a car from behind, the car impacted going at 60mph. Mary had herniated discs through out her spine and a broken neck. To be clear, Mary's doctor told her she needed surgery and her yoga was over. Mary proved that doctor wrong and started back bending and taking two classes ever day for two years.
http://www.globalyoga.biz/About_Mary.html
What I learned from Mary changed my life. Her story is epic and beautiful. She a healer and as it would seem beyond nature. The picture you see of Mary in Locust posture was taken two years after her car accident. Mary believes in nutrition and yoga, specifically backbending to go to the source of the trauma in the spine and heal it. Of course it's more scientific than that. But I have realized that when I am pain in my lower back I start to manifest fear and that fear starts to compound on my pain.
At this moment I feel a little discouraged and fearful because that same pain has come back after the pregnancy. It's not as bad as two and half years ago but it's bad enough that I know I don't want to go down that road again. I haven't been overweight in 5 years and to have to lose thirty pounds again. It seems a tough road ahead of me. I love to eat. But I have to do it. I owe it to my children and to my whole life ahead of me.
For example at this point in the day I could eat my hand. I have eaten so clean all weekend my body just isn't use to yet. My hubby just go home and is wimping out on yoga. I need to go. It curbs my appetite to eat my hand.
Because I love food so much I have to show you my dinner. I am really into fennel right now because it helps me with my milk production. I have to keep that in mind as I watch my calories, practice yoga, teach yoga...etc. I worry a little about my milk production. The fennel has helped so far.
Then about 2 in half years ago I turned the wrong way and I threw my back out. It was horrible. For about three months on the daily basis my movement was limited. By this time I was teaching yoga and it was embarrassing to walk up to the podium crooked. I had signed up for a back bend clinic in Boulder Colorado. Esak Garcia was leading this clinic mostly to train people for yoga competition. One of training modalities he used was backbending or walking up and down the wall repetitively to change the structure of the spine. I didn't believe at time before going to the clinic that I should go. So I called him before the clinic was to take place and told him of my condition. But this time my back was so bad I couldn't lie down or sit and my organ functions were being affected. Esak told me I had to come to the clinic, that it would be make my back feel better. I believed him and so I went. I set up a tent in from of the Boulder studio and did what he said. I did close to 100 back bends a day and took one Bikram Yoga class for two weeks. It was there at that clinic that I met Mary Jarvis, a teacher of Bikram for at the time 25 years. Mary was hit by a car from behind, the car impacted going at 60mph. Mary had herniated discs through out her spine and a broken neck. To be clear, Mary's doctor told her she needed surgery and her yoga was over. Mary proved that doctor wrong and started back bending and taking two classes ever day for two years.
What I learned from Mary changed my life. Her story is epic and beautiful. She a healer and as it would seem beyond nature. The picture you see of Mary in Locust posture was taken two years after her car accident. Mary believes in nutrition and yoga, specifically backbending to go to the source of the trauma in the spine and heal it. Of course it's more scientific than that. But I have realized that when I am pain in my lower back I start to manifest fear and that fear starts to compound on my pain.
At this moment I feel a little discouraged and fearful because that same pain has come back after the pregnancy. It's not as bad as two and half years ago but it's bad enough that I know I don't want to go down that road again. I haven't been overweight in 5 years and to have to lose thirty pounds again. It seems a tough road ahead of me. I love to eat. But I have to do it. I owe it to my children and to my whole life ahead of me.
For example at this point in the day I could eat my hand. I have eaten so clean all weekend my body just isn't use to yet. My hubby just go home and is wimping out on yoga. I need to go. It curbs my appetite to eat my hand.
Because I love food so much I have to show you my dinner. I am really into fennel right now because it helps me with my milk production. I have to keep that in mind as I watch my calories, practice yoga, teach yoga...etc. I worry a little about my milk production. The fennel has helped so far.
Yoga and Juicing
I got to start off the weekend leading another sample Bikram class at the local yoga clothing store. I had a guest visitor/friend randomly meet me there when class started. Beautiful Mary Clare. She spoke for a moment to the nice size crowd about Bikram Yoga. Mary Clare described Bikram Yoga at the "greatest technology on the planet". She's right. Bikram Yoga constricts and bring in re-oxygenated blood flood to and from organs and tissues, stretches and compresses organs and tissues leaving our bodies to heal itself on the daily basis. I could see the look in the students eyes. It's amazing to know that there is something like this, a 5000 year old system and it works.
Juicing feels good again. I am keeping it simple really. But I am staying away from veggies that cause inflammation and there is a list of them. Tomato's being one of them. For the last two months I have been eating a ton of them out of convenience. I have to notice that I started feel a few aches I didn't know I had, one in my left thumb knuckle. At the top of the knuckle it became crunchy and with a slight dull pain. It has since gone away but I can tell it's underlying. So tomatoes no more. Of course I am sticking to kale. Kale is King!
http://juicerrecipesnow.com/health-benefits-of-juicing/
Juicing feels good again. I am keeping it simple really. But I am staying away from veggies that cause inflammation and there is a list of them. Tomato's being one of them. For the last two months I have been eating a ton of them out of convenience. I have to notice that I started feel a few aches I didn't know I had, one in my left thumb knuckle. At the top of the knuckle it became crunchy and with a slight dull pain. It has since gone away but I can tell it's underlying. So tomatoes no more. Of course I am sticking to kale. Kale is King!Saturday, November 20, 2010
Backbending With Esak
http://www.esakgarcia.net/
Friday, November 19, 2010
Finally, Taking Charge of My Spine
Today has been one of those long days again. The pain in my lower back from two days ago is gone. When I went to bed two nights ago I was emotionally defeated once again by the pain in my body. So opted out of going to yoga yesterday because I thought I would give my body a break after doing 4 classes in three days. I felt so good on the 3rd day, I thought I'd sneak out and give it a go again. While in class my body was loose and I had my yoga mojo going on I finally grabbed my foot in Head to Knee posture, kicked and then locked out. That was a big mistake, all ego. I could cuss at myself but I won't. So lets not forget today, that's in the past. The house is a 1/4 clean which means I'm on my way to having what appears somewhat put together home for us to live in.
I have some green tea which is properly brewed in the house that I probably shouldn't have drank (because I'm a lactating mother and caffeine could cause my baby Apollo to be cranky). But I did and it give me a boost. So after much of doing nothing today I finally pulled out my veggies in the fridge and juiced!!!! I can hear the cheers now! Yeah! Whatever is inflamed in my body must go! And I'm finally using my dehydrator again.
So, now that I have a headache and my kyphosis rounded spine has dull pain to the touch, I should probably start by getting some sleep. This is going to be a joy.
Yoga, 6am, probably not. We'll see. My breasts are filling up with milk and I am just not excited about pumping. God. (Prayer)
And then 9am, cold yoga, God. A couple of weeks ago I started teaching a one hour cold Bikram Yoga class. Our studio is the "studio of the month" at a yoga clothing store in town. Seems so unfair and a cruel joke to people who are probably not even on the fence about going to Bikram yoga. I suppose if I get one person to go it's probably worth it.
Oh and tomorrow is my day to lead advanced, oh man. I meant, God.
Sweet dreams.
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