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| Om Shanti!
I have a student who has been coming now for six weeks and reports she is gaining a lot from the classes. I anticipate she will keep coming. She has severe rheumatoid arthritis in her body, in her wrists, knees, ankles and she is not mobile enough to get up and down from the floor without assistance. At first she flatly refused to try.
What I have done thus far is have her in a chair with two additional chairs as props. I have done things like seated cat-cow; spinal twists; all the neck/head exercises, interlacing fingers (although she can't really interlace) and stretch toward ceiling and each side; I've additionally used the two extra chairs for her to place her legs/feet in for seated forward bends and straddle forward bends.
Since she can stand, I will then have her do a series standing. Final relaxation for her is back in the chair.
Two things: Last week I was able to get her onto the floor in legs-up-the-wall and do a modfied bridge and very light movement toward shoulderstand. I also was able to have her do her final relaxation on the floor, which she enjoyed. I think some of her issues with not getting on the floor relate to fear as much as actual pain, so we are working towards that slowly.
That said, I was hoping someone had some good ideas for the chair. I have been able to teach her a modified pigeon prep by placing the knee up on a table and draping the body over it, but any suggestions for how to use the chair in other ways is appreciated. I would like to keep the class from getting so predictable for her.
Thank you for any help.
Om shanti,
kumari |
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| Suggestions: If she is different from the average and is a yoga student:
- she must accept that she is different from the average and will be given a different routine from the average, which may sound like she is far below their physical level. This acceptance is part of her yoga.
- now, she should be given a totally different routine from the rest of the group class. Rest of the class should not be held up since she is not ready for cerain things.
- if she can afford money, she should get ONLY private tuition. If she can not afford, she should accept her limitations and be happy with it. The problem is: she needs a constant attention and that is taken from the rest of the class.
Namaste |
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| Agree with Neel's last point. This is an issue best dealt with in a private session otherwise it is, over time, unfair to her and the rest of the attending students.
There is only so much that can be done with chairs. When working with stiff or immobile students, for whatever the reason, a full complement of props including a Wall Rope System is most helpful. Outlining a protocol for this sort of work is best handled in a teacher training.
Edited by purnayoga 2007-11-18 3:58 PM
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| Greetings and om shanti!
Thank you for your kind responses. I should have noted that the "classes" have been private with only this student. We have in the last week had one other student request joining us who was full aware that this student was the person being worked with and the student who joined likewise opts out of many of the postures for various reasons. She seems perfectly happy to be doing what we are doing as this particular time of day works for her and she basically is interested in pranayama, light stretching and relaxation for the most part.
But you are absolutely right on this being too much to do in one class with regular students.
That said, i certainly don't know anything about how to use the wall system with the type of props you are talking about and with this student, I feel like a few variations will suite our needs for now. I do believe that with some confidence and also letting go of some ego that getting on the floor won't be such a monumental task before its all over.
Om shanti,
kumari |
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| Dear Kumari:
If you have the above quesiton you asked, you need teacher training. Find a source for such training and attend it. |
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Chair modifications
