Hello Mukunda:
I have a student who had her hip replaced 6 yrs ago. They told her at the time to always keep her legs together; should she ever sit with her ankles crossed she could pop her hip out and should that happen a terrible pain would occur. That thought alone created extreme tightness in her hips and lower back. I’ve had students with hip replacements in the past, but none were told such a thing, and they experienced pretty good range of motion.
I would guess this student to be in her mid 50’s. Large boned and meaty in muscular structure. She has been fairly inactive since the hip replacement, but I see reasonable movement in her hips as we move through your joint freeing series (which I do with every class now as a ‘warmer’ for deeper asana work). But she has overall stiffness in moving her body, say, from a seated asana to hands and knees. I believe it is more in her mind, than the reality of her freedom of movement. But then again, I wish to honor where she is at this point in time.
My question: What is your knowledge regarding hip replacements, and what approach should I take in assisting her in developing more mobility and freedom of movement?
My teaching style (Indra Devi) is slow with breath and attentiveness to the inner workings of body and mind. No fast movements nor do I teach beyond the classes capabilities. Thank you for your response. Kat