SPOONIE YOGA TO BUILD STRENGTH

When I used to think of strength training, I'd think of healthy, fit people in gyms 🏋🏻‍♀️ lifting weights wearing expensive tennis shoes and sweat-soaked clothes (i.e. not me). And then when I started practicing yoga, I thought I had to be doing sun salutations and power yoga flows every day in order to get strong. I thought that if I couldn't do that, then what was the point of doing anything? 😔 But as I've lived the past seven years with chronic illness, I have learned to recalibrate my concept of strength training. 

When you are chronically ill and struggling to get out of bed each day, EVERYTHING feels like exercise 😫 The body isn't ready to handle lifting weights or HIIT, so we must honor the body with smaller, gentler movements. Low-intensity exercises can help us begin to build strength 💪🏼 and prevent muscle wasting. You don't have to be lifting weights or doing chaturanga dandasana in order for your exercise to be worthwhile. Whatever you are able to do is worth doing. 

Today I am sharing a supine yoga practice to build STRENGTH 💪🏼 This is a fairly gentle practice, but the movements will help prevent muscle wasting. This is so important! We have to keep the muscles working! 

Doing so will help decrease pain and fatigue. I would consider this practice safe for most Spoonies, including people with EDS, ME, Fibromyalgia, and POTS, but please talk to your doctor before you begin exercise.