Puis-je pratiquer le yoga Reverse Health malgré des problèmes de santé ? | Assistance

For women, entering midlife can be a challenging experience. While certain personal and professional life may flow, the changes in hormonal health impact quality of life, leading aches, pains, and dysfunction.

This leaves many wondering — is exercise possible during this time?

This is where chair yoga comes in. A seated version of the ancient pratie, it is used to take advantage of its amazing benefits from a safe and stable position.

In this article, we discuss yoga and chair yoga. We cover yoga in the Reverse Health program, and how it can be used to address thyroid issues, and knee and joint injuries.

Understanding Yoga in the Reverse Health Program

Below, we explore how yoga is used in the Reverse Health Program, including how it can be used to improve flexibility, balance, and hormonal harmony for midlife women.

What Makes Reverse Health Yoga Unique

Reverse Health yoga approach to yoga is focused on traditional principles. However, what sets it apart is it uses elements of traditional yoga, and hair yoga to address the challenges women experience over 40.

This is because yoga is shown to significantly improve menopausal symptoms, promoting better sleep, lowering body mass index, decreasing blood pressure, and improving anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Understanding this, our team has created yoga workouts that not only work on balance, and strength, but also techniques that promote relaxation and digestion.

The Goals — Flexibility, Balance, and Hormonal Harmony

During the 40s, women experience a decline in estrogen. This is shown to lead to symptoms including poor sleep, stress, anxiety, depression, decreased bone density, and loss of muscle mass.

Yoga has been highlighted as a tool for improving flexibility and balance. While, additional research reveals that it can help promote mental well-being, enhancing cognitive function and mental sharpness.

Yoga in Reverse Health is used to address these needs, helping to preserve and restore functional movements by improving flexibility and balance, and hormonal changes.

How it Supports Midlife Women With Different Fitness Levels

Reverse Health offers 30-day programs which are suitable for all fitness levels, guiding you through the basics and help you build up your competency.

We offer yoga and chair yoga programs that not only help to develop strength, flexibility, and function, but also aid those with limitations with comprehensive seated options.

However, if you are looking to just simply unwind and escape the stress and anxiety caused by menopause, our programs also offer restorative options which calm the mind. This helps to reenergize you and enhance sleep.

Can I Practice Yoga if I Have a Medical Condition?

Below, we discuss how Reverse Health yoga is designed to safely and effectively support women with medical conditions.

Why Yoga in Reverse Health is Low-Impact and Restorative

Reverse Health employs gentle and flowing forms of yoga to accommodate women with sensitive joints.

Chair yoga in particular is tailored to accommodate women with limited mobility or joint issues. This is great for women who need assistance to gradually build up their strength and restore function.

For those with more mobility, traditional yoga offers gentle, flowing, low-impact exercises that enable strengthening while reducing impact, which has a restorative effect.

How Sessions are Designed for Safety and Adaptability

All Reverse Health yoga sessions are designed to help users safely progress. Each modality offers a beginner program which teaches foundational exercise.

Each program within the program aims to continue building on the core principles, helping to develop competency.

Best of all, it can be completed at your own pace, enabling you to safely learn and develop with confidence.

When to Modify or Skip Certain Poses

Modifying or skipping certain poses is a great way to ensure you are still exercising without risking injury.

Exercises can be modified based on your injuries, conditions, aches, and pains. For example,

chair yoga poses are great substitutes for ground poses for those with limited mobility. Meanwhile, those who struggle with balance also use hairs for support.

Skipping poses should be done when you cannot perform the exercise due to the pain, dysfunction, or medical limitation. When it comes to skipping, we recommend identifying these exercises prior to your session so you can swap it for a safe alternative.

Doing Yoga with Thyroid Conditions

Our thyroid is an organ that is responsible for growth, development, and regulating metabolism. However, studies reveal that when there is dysfunction, it can result in cardiovascular, metabolic, neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, and psychiatric disorders.

Below, we discuss how to do yoga with thyroid conditions, and how it can be used to support metabolism, hormone balance, and energy levels.

How Gentle Movement Supports Metabolism and Stress Balance

Yoga‘s gentle movement can be used to support metabolism and balance stress caused by thyroid issues.

Studies show that yoga practices such as poses, breathwork, and meditations are beneficial for thyroid profile, lipid profile, cardiopulmonary function, mental health, and quality of life.

Recommended Poses for Thyroid and Energy Support

Yoga offers several benefits, with different poses supporting the thyroid and energy levels. Here is a list of poses for thyroid stimulation and energy:

• Shoulder Stand (Sarangasana): Stimulate blood flow.
• Plow Pose (Halasana): Stimulates and regulates thyroid function.
• Fish Pose Matsyasana): Opens neck and throats, stimulating the thyroid.
• Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Lengthens the neck, stimulating the thyroid.
• Camel Pose Ustrasana): Deep stretch of the neck, stimulating the thyroid gland.
• Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Improves circulation, promotes well-being.

When to Rest or Adjust Intensity

Listening to your body is essential when you have a thyroid condition. You should consider taking a rest if you are experiencing shortness of breath, fatigue, weakness, or pain.

If you believe your workout is exacerbating your condition, stop immediately, inform your instructors or take a break and reassess. If it does not get any better, stop the session.

Meanwhile, if you are finding the session too challenging, consider adjusting your intensity by decreasing pose durations and difficulty.

Doing Yoga with Back Pain

Research shows that approximately 23% of adults worldwide suffer from chronic low back pain. Incidence rates are shown to be higher in women than men, with prevalence increasing after menopause.

During this time, exercise is vital as it can help women over 40 preserve muscle mass, bone density, and function. However, in the face of considerable pain, it can be difficult to get started. This is where yoga and hair yoga come in.

Below, we explore the effects of yoga for back pain, covering how it is used to strengthen the core, support posture, and safety considerations.

How Reverse Health Yoga Strengthens Your Core Safely

Yoga combinations of holds, poses, and gentle movements are great for safely strengthening the core.

A 2018 study revealed that five simple yoga poses are effective for building core strength and flexibility. These include the low plank, side plank, incline plan, shoulder stand, and warrior.

What makes these exercises great is they can be also performed with chair yoga, making them accessible to those with limited mobility, injury, or less experience.

Safe Poses for Posture and Spinal Mobility

Yoga is excellent for safely improving posture and spinal mobility. Research shows that yoga is effective for improving spinal flexion, spinal extension, and lateral flexion in just 8 weeks.

Meanwhile, a 2014 study determined that yoga improved postural control and mobility, reducing the risk of falls.

Movements to Avoid if You Have Lower Back Sensitivity

Exercise is one of the best interventions for addressing back pain, there are some which should be avoided during acute or severe episodes.

Movements such as bending, twisting, and stacking movements (combining bending/rotating), as well as jumping, and running should be avoided as they may cause aggravation.

Doing Yoga with Knee or Joint Injuries

Studies show that 70% of all midlife women will experience the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause, which presents as loss of muscle mass, musculoskeletal pain, loss of bone density, increased risk of fracture, and tendon, and ligament injury.

For many women, the experience of knee and joint pain is enough to scare them away from exercise altogether.

Fortunately, yoga is gentle enough to gradually strengthen muscles and joints. Below, we show you how to protect your joints, modify exercises, and when to stop during your yoga session.

How to Protect Knees and Joints During Floor or Standing Poses

Protecting your joints during your yoga session can be done using the following techniques:

• Use Correct Technique: Ensure knees are over toes to keep your knees aligned.
• Avoid Locking-Out Joints: Keep knees soft with a slight bend. This will reduce pressure in the joint.
• Use Props: Position bolsters, towels, or blankets behind the knee, lower back, or head for support. This will help reduce joint pressure.
• Listen to Your Body: If you experience pain or discomfort, relax your pose, or stop and reassess. If pain continues, stop and speak to your instructor or healthcare professional.

Modifications Using a Chair, Wall, or Cushion

Joint pain can be accommodated using different furniture and props to improve balance, and support your weight.  Here are the different ways you can modify your exercises:

• Chair: This alternative allows less experienced or mobile individuals to perform similar exercises with the support of a chair.
• Walls: Walls can be used during poses for balance and support body weight. This will help you gradually develop strength, allowing you to progress with confidence.
• Cushions: Cushions help provide comfort, and support in seated or lying positions, helping to decrease pressure on affected joints.

Signs to Stop or Reduce Intensity

If you are experiencing pain or unknown discomfort during your session, consider lowering the intensity or stopping the exercise.

A little pain ranging 0-3 out of 10 on the pain scale is manageable during exercise rehabilitation, as you strengthen your muscles and joints. However, if the pain exceeds this amount or the sensation is abnormal or makes you apprehensive, it is best to modify your training to avoid aggravation.

Practicing Yoga with Other Health Conditions

Yoga is an accessible and safe form of exercise that can be used to support several health conditions. To ensure your safety, you highlight when you should insult your doctor, how to adjust your training for your medical needs, and how to manage recovery.

When to Talk to Your Doctor Before Starting

We suggest consulting your doctor if you have any significant musculoskeletal injuries, recent operations, or existing conditions.

Musculoskeletal injuries such as muscle tears, ligament sprains, or recent operations should be cleared by a doctor or physical therapist to avoid further injury.

Meanwhile, women with cardiovascular disease, eye conditions, diabetes, balance issues, or who are pregnant should seek advice as certain poses can affect these conditions.

How to Personalize Your Flow for Medical Needs

A great thing about yoga is that it can be adapted to accommodate your medical needs. Here is a list of common medical issues and how to personalize your flow.

• Arthritis: Reduce joint pressure using hairs, bolsters, or cushions. Hairs can reduce weight, while cushions and bolsters and decrease joint pressure.
• Back Pain: Combined spinal mobilizing and strengthening exercises with props for support. Focus on correct spinal alignment and precise technique.
• Digestive Issues: Add exercise that uses gentle twisting and rotation. These will support digestion.
• Cardiovascular: Exercises such as downward dog, cobra pose, bridge, easy pose, and breathwork, are all excellent for lowering heart rate and nervous system.

Balancing Rest, Movement, and Recovery

Exercise is vital for health and longevity, however, the body also requires rest to recover. If you are a beginner, we recommend programming a rest day between sessions, to allow the body to recover.

Gentle walks and light stretching can be performed on recovery days to get the body moving, or they can be days of complete rest. This will ensure that any residual soreness is gone before your next session.

Getting Support and Personalization

Reverse Health exercise programs provide a safe and effective means of developing strength at any fitness level. However, we understand that stepping into a new routine can be daunting, that is why we have made it easy to contact our team for added support.

Below, we discuss how to contact our support team and access the community for long-term success.

How to Contact Reverse Health Support for Guidance

For guidance with yoga or any of our other workouts you can contact support by with the following steps:

Reverse Health App - Email

1. Open Reverse Health.
2. Tap My Profile icon (top right corner).
3. Tap the “Settings” tab.
4. Select “Contact”.
5. Select “Help”.
6. Scroll down the “Contact us” page until you find our email address.

Reverse Health App - Chat

1. Open Reverse Health.
2. Tap My Profile icon (top right corner).
3. Tap the “Settings” tab.
4. Select “Contact”.
5. Tap “Messages”.

Reverse Health Website - Chat

1. Go to the Reverse Health home page.
2. Click on the option menu (top right corner).
3. Click on “Need help?”.
4. Click on the hovering chat speech icon in the bottom right corner.

Accessing Community Tips and Success Stories

Community is a big part of your health journey, that is why we have created the Reverse Health community group. A group of 90,000 other women who share their tips, struggles, and success. If you are starting one of our yoga programs we strongly recommend joining our members group.

You an join the Reverse Health group by taking the following steps:

1. Open Reverse Health.
2. Tap the “Grow” tab (bottom right corner).
3. Tap the “Community” tab.
4. Tap the “Let’s go” button.

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