Yin yoga and prothetic legs

This discussion group is for questions about Yin Yoga and other body parts, such as shoulders, feet, wrists, etc.... Also, this is the place to discuss various conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, etc.
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m0dizzle
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2019 2:31 am

Yin yoga and prothetic legs

Post by m0dizzle »

Hi Bernie!

I am curious what insight you might have on teaching yin yoga to students who have a prosthetic leg? I'm starting a yin yoga series soon and have been informed that one of the participants has a prosthetic (not sure if it's above or below the knee). Are there any contraindications I should be aware of? How about advice or recommendations? Thanks!
Bernie
Posts: 1293
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:25 am
Location: Vancouver

Post by Bernie »

Interesting question. I am not a doctor and am not even sure what a doctor would think about this, so my first question would be for the student: what does his/her health care team (doctor, physical therapist, surgeon) suggest she/he can do or should not do? No amount of guessing ahead of time is better than hearing what the student says. Next, I would ask her what her own experience has been teaching her about what her limits are.

But, before all of that, I would ask her, "what is your intention is doing yoga?" Start there and then see what postures will give her what she is seeking. Teach her how to pay attention (but I would assume she is better than normal already in knowing her body) to make sure she isn't going too far, too fast. In Yin Yoga we often target the hips and spine: it is quite possible to affect those areas without much stress at all on the knees. So, work with her to find the postures that affect the targeted areas but don't create pain or problems in her lower legs.

Let us know how it goes! Your and her experience could be very valuable for others.

Cheers
Bernie
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