Class Details

The class will be a combination of explanations and a "modified" yoga practice.

This time the focus will be on connect with our muscles and get in charge of them.

Feel what we need to strengthen and what we can relax. And do it with the smile in our face!

Yes, because we never smile enough and because smiling helps us also to relax!

Too often, the muscles that should be strong are weak and we compensate using other muscles that – for this reason – are overworking and ending up being always contracted and giving us pain.

(e.g. our core is weak and so our shoulders try to compensate and become tense)

Strength and relaxation are both necessary for our body to be in balance, for 2 reasons:

1. Each muscle should be able to perform and contract when we need and to relax when we are not using it.
2. To relax some muscles, we need to engage others to support us or in general "do the job" we need.

We will pay attention on what we need to strengthen and what we can relax in each moment of the class:

1. In the awakening moment: sitting, just using the upper body
2. While energizing ourselves with some standing poses
3. Doing it while having fun playing with balance
4. On the floor doing sciatica stretching and soft back extension

And In the end we will rest body, mind and nervous system in Shavasana.

Program

Introduction – around 20 minutes

• We will start introducing each other and talk about “what to do and what to avoid” in our yoga practice.
• Plus some tips to practice yoga with all kinds of herniated disc and general yoga safety rules.

Modified Practice – around 1 hour

There will be modifications to poses and sequences where needed for our specific situation

• How to sit and how to breath
• Awakening, stretching and mobility of neck, shoulders and shoulder blades
• Modified Sun Salutation A sequence (to warm up and activate all body)
• Some standing poses (focused on strength)
• Balancing poses (focused on strength)
• Closing sequences with stretching exercises (with some specific for sciatica), and gentle back-bending (also called heart opening)
• And... Shavasana 😊.

Questions & answers and Final Greetings -- around 10 minutes 

For the class you need:

• Yoga (or exercise) mat
• Yoga blocks (or a few books)
• Yoga strap (or a belt, not elastic)
• A free wall nearby

Why me

My name is Daniela Novati and I am a yoga teacher that is living, practicing and teaching with 4 herniated lumbar discs.

One on L5-S1 is specifically serious with almost 1" x 0.5" protrusion that I will probably needs surgery.

However, in the meantime I learned all the modifications to yoga poses that let me practice and teach without making my herniated disc worse.

With my experience of teaching yoga I could create specific modifications and understand how they work.

That is why I feel confident that I can teach you the right modification for your poses.

Is this class for you?

I am confident I can advise people who have my same issue (lumbar herniated disc) because I have first-hand experience.

So if you...

• have a lumbar herniated disc(s) problem – those are the most common
• already do yoga even at a very basic level
• or you want to learn how to use yoga to feel better (relax your mind while exercising and balancing your body)

...this class will surely benefit you!

Because I will teach you yoga modifications that are original and based on "first hand" experience of a yoga teacher doing yoga with herniated lumbar discs.

If you think this is for you, welcome to the class!

But I also have to say that I have limited experience with other types of herniated disc.

I have some experience with yoga for cervical herniated discs, but it's partial (I worked with a client who had this issue).

And I have no experience with other types and positions of herniated discs.

And finally, everybody is different

So, before joining the class, ask yourself if this is for you. And during the class listen to your body!