Hi,
I have a degenerated lumbar disk (i think is L5). For most of my life I’ve been practicing contact sports and lifting lots of weights but about a couple of years ago I got into yoga due to low back issues. I began practicing yoga in my gym and then I bought a bunch of books and got a number of DVDs. My fexibility and core stregth has improved TONS but I’ve learnt to listen to my body the hard way. About a month ago I think i pushed it to far and my lower back has been flaring up. Ideally I would love to find a good yoga instructor but that’s so hard to find. It seems that every week I see a new yoga studio opening up and I really question if the people that are teaching in those places are qualified. Until I find somebody good, I would like some ideas of good yoga routines for a person in my situation.
Also I am looking for a little feedback on what I am doing:
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When doing forward bends, i respect my range of motion. I used to pull myself with my hands but again I learnt the hard way that this is not good. Oops
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I always bend from my hips.
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I try to do my practices really slow, focusing on breathing.
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When I am having low back episodes, I do my practices. I little bit of stiffness at the begining of the practice is not bad as long as is not pain
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I try to do my practices at night. (i find that my body is looser at that time)
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I usually do a yoga practice, then the following day a pilates practice then i rest.
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Most of the poses that i do are
a. Warrior 1, 2, 3
b. Crescent Pose
c. Triangle Pose
4. Right side angle pose
5. Downward and upawrd dogs
6. Chair pose (the normal and the twisted version)
7. Crow Pose
8. Camel Pose
9. Wheel Pose
10. etc
Thanks in advance for any feedback. I am trying to self teach myself by reading, watching videos and now hopefully using this forum and eventually finding a good instructor.