Multiple Injuries

[Questioner]

namaste - I am writing to you with questions for a very dedicated but frustrated student of mine…i am trying to put together a practice for her that keeps her in the flow of her practice while keeping her from injuring herself any further and also helps her to heal…her first injury happened around DEC. 1, 2000 while in pinchmayurasana…she fell and hyperextended her back … she has also had lower back pain on and off for as long as she can remember. when she began yoga 9 years ago she did feel some relief.

next injury…her neck…she doesn’t know how it started but it has been super sore for well over a year now. sometimes it is too tight to turn her head and look over her shoulder, both the right and left sides, however the left is usually worse. her neck is the worst pain in her body.

…next is her right wrist…this began about a year ago…it is probably a combo of all the arm balancing/ weight bearing in yoga and her mild computer use. it’s kind of a pinch pain and we both think it stems from her neck

…next…subscapularis/ right arm leading into rotator cuff. it has been pinching, sharp moments of shooting pain…she describes as the same pain she use to feel while backbending

…last injury…she hurt her left knee while in a dance class. someone put their weight on her knee before her knee was safely over her ankle…this was about three months ago…but both knees have been quite tender.
she is going to weekly acupuncture and just began to see a bodyworker physical therapist. …

i know this is a lengthy list but any wisdom you have would be most helpful…she is so dedicated and i want to be able to offer her a practice that feels both safe and supportive. thank you Devon

[Mukunda]

Devon, the ideal would be for me to see the student in person or at least talk with her on the phone. I suspect she is in need of pranayama and meditation practice more than Asana. In rerouting her she would need that done in person with a teacher who is deeply grounded in the experience of meditation and can convey that essential force through their presence as well as competent and personalized instruction.

That said for practice I would recommend that she do the Joint Freeing Series. In spite of its being mild, the JFS can remove the challenges done to the joints when the student focuses on the join involved rather than goring about it thinking that it is a simple warm up or beginner practice. It really is an advanced concentration exercise one that can deliver your prana directly into the joint capsule and when done so can provide tremendous freedom of motion and relief of pain. I would recommend she not do asanas for one month (including going to class) during the period of recovery. If you are willing to give this advice wholeheartedly and she follows it, then a change can occur. Otherwise she is bound to continue to be experiencing a continuation of her pattern of injuries.