Yoga is a form of exercise that anyone can do. From the young to the old, male or female. You don't have to be super flexible to do yoga. For me, it was all about listening to my body about what I can and cannot do. So take it easy on your body and be in tune with it so that you don't inadvertently cause harm to yourself.
The reason that I took up Yoga was because I suffered excruciating pain on the heels of my feet. For months, I endured the pain. Outwardly, my heels weren't swollen or have any redness that I could see. Even walking short distances was just too much for me. I winced in pain and my face and body contorted with every step I took. I remembered consulting a doctor, my local GP. She wrote a prescription for a very strong painkiller and told me to come back and see her after 2 weeks if the pain didn't go away. Generally, I am a healthy person, I've never taken a Panadol for many years. Something in my gut feelings told me not to go ahead with this prescription as I don't want to become dependent on it. After many weeks, the pain just got worse and worse so I went to see another GP. This doctor told me that I need to get surgery as soon as possible. She told me that if I agree to this, she'll arrange for X-rays, etc. I told her that I need to think about it. The idea of cutting up my feet without having any facts or evidence about what caused the pain didn't make any sense to me. So I ran out of her consulting room as fast as I could.
By chance, I met a yoga practitioner who has been practicing yoga for 5 years. She noticed that I was limping as I walked towards her so she suggested that I do some very simple, gentle yoga stretches for 15 minutes each day and see if that can help ease the pain at the back of my heels. She said that all I need to have is a yoga mat. That was easy as I already have a very good yoga mat - Airex in my storage room. Before she left, she said to try the "Downward Facing Dog" pose in my 15 minutes routine for about 2 weeks and let her know my progress.I went home and Googled "Downward Facing Dog Pose", "Yoga", etc. I was overwhelmed with so much information from my searches and didn't know where to start. So I decided to listen to my body, I chose the gentle yoga poses that my body can handle without putting more strain on my feet. I choreographed my own set of yoga routine that was simple and easy to do and stuck to that everyday for 2 weeks. But instead of doing it once a day, I practiced this set of routine twice a day in the hope that I will regain the use of my feet soon.
GUESS WHAT?!!! It worked. I am now pain-free. I can walk without pain. I can dance. I can run! I have my life back!!! HOORAY!!! I am very grateful to have met her that day.
Up Next ... Check out my YouTube video of the Yoga Routine that I used and worked for me.
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