Bikram Yoga & Osteopathy

April 26, 2012 3:38 am

“After one session, all I can say is WOW,” says Thom. “I’ve been dealing with this condition for so long, I forgot what it felt like to have no pain. He went over my entire medical history – stuff I’d long forgotten about – and, as it turns out, those things seemed to have an effect on other parts of my body. Focusing mainly on my feet he did some really minor adjustments and, almost immediately, I could tell things were changing. I still don’t fully understand how it worked but, after going back a second time to address a few other issues, I feel like a new person.”

Considering Thom’s amazing results, we asked Don to tell us more about osteopathy – how it works and what types of conditions it can help. Find out how this unique manual practice can make you feel better – in and out of the hot room.

What is osteopathy?

Osteopathy is a manual practice used for evaluating and determining any dysfunctions in the body not allowing it to function properly, and restoring those conditions to a normal function by treating the causes of pain and imbalances that may be the results of injury, stress, illness or the chronicity of daily activities. Almost anyone can benefit from osteopathic manual therapy. The body has the innate ability to adapt to any injury, stress, illness or dysfunction that it sustains throughout life.

How can old and recurrent injuries be helped by osteopathic work?

When the body sustains an injury, the biomechanics of that area are affected. Even though the injury has recovered and we are able to be active again, the biomechanics may not be corrected or returned to proper working order, and injuries may reoccur or develop somewhere else in the body.

For example, if you sprained an ankle in your youth and it “got better,” you likely returned to active levels doing everything you did with the adaptation of the body to the ankle sprain. But, if the biomechanics of the ankle were not addressed, one could potentially develop lower-back pain without a specific mechanism of injury to the back.

How can long-term health issues be helped by osteopathic work?

The body has the innate ability to adapt to the many traumas and stresses that are put on it up to a point; when it’s unable to adapt any more, health issues may develop from this ability to adapt. Osteopathic manual work, through a thorough history, full-body biomechanical evaluation and the assessment of the position, mobility and the quality of motility of the tissues, determines which areas are not working or functioning properly and will attempt to return these areas to a functioning capability that would allow the body to innately heal or normalize itself.

Is osteopathy is a good complement to a regular yoga practice?

Osteopathy is a good complement for all types of physical body practices. As yoga works freeing up the tensions present in the body, osteopathy can free the biomechanical tension of the musculoskeletal, visceral, vascular and cranio-sacral systems. Also, the smooth motions of yoga changing from position to position and the focus on breathing allows the body to move and integrate the osteopathic treatments in a way that, say, sitting at a computer will not.

When Bikram Yoga practitioners like Thom say that, after a course of osteopathic treatment, they experienced a “leap forward” in their flexibility and strength, what do they mean?

Yes, this “leap forward” sounds familiar! With manual osteopathic practices the body is being freed of numerous tensions and biomechanical dysfunctions that are impeding the body from expressing itself physically through range of motion, energy levels and feeling of stress.

Any advice about combining osteopathy with a regular Bikram Yoga practice?

Being patient, keeping an open mind and not looking for results immediately must be remembered. Sometimes the treatments take a few days to be fully integrated with the body and, much as it is with Bikram Yoga, you may not notice the changes until the next time you do a particular motion and you realize how much freer and more fluid it is.

For more information on osteopathy, visit the Fluid Motion Clinic of Osteopathy online. Or, contact Don directly at 778-340-0804.

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