Yoga and Me by Diddy Elliot

I have been doing yoga on and off for years. A new video, a bad back or a conversation with someone about it would spark my interest again but I never felt as though I was doing it properly.

In May 2017 after years of back problems I was training for a half marathon and feeling pretty good. I still had back pain, almost daily but had accepted that my back was never going to be strong. I turned on the edge of the bed one morning to pick up my mobile phone which was behind me, and something went in my back. It was so painful, I could not walk, lying was excruciating as was standing. I was like this for 2 weeks until I could get down the stairs and see a physiotherapist. He told me that my hips had clicked out of line and caused a slipped disc. This took several weeks to calm down and as I went back to work I decided that I needed to do something to build more strength in my body. I wanted to do yoga again, however I wanted to be taught properly and I needed adjustments made for the poor state of my back.

I called Reena at Yoga Loughborough and booked my first session. She was understanding and gentle, adapting all of the postures for me and reminding me all the time that I was only to do what I could and not push beyond any pain.

That was 13 weeks ago, I practice daily (life permitting) I am well on my way to doing a headstand and have recently mastered crow pose! My progress has been astonishing and I love how comfortable my body feels. I now get out of bed in the morning and just go, for years I used to hobble around, waiting for the pain in my back to subside before I could move freely. Once I started yoga I seemed to be in a position to consider what was good for me in different ways, not setting rules for myself but making positive decisions.

In my practice I still have to do the poses I find difficult or don’t like a lot but I have made my own rhythm with my moves. I hold all of the postures for 5 steady breaths and this ensures that I don’t skimp on the ones I find difficult! I do what feels right for me on the day, sometimes a full hour and sometimes a quick 10 minutes. I really do feel that with Reena’s tuition I am well on the way to enjoying yoga for life.

Diddy Elliot – Psychotherapist and Artist.