Yoga Tips for Gardeners & Their Teachers

I am expanding my topics here, in order to reach out more to fellow teachers and teachers-in-training.  Once a week (or so) I'll write advice for new teachers, give asana or sequence suggestions, share how-to tips (like my "How to Create a Yoga Workshop" post, answer students' questions or something else along those lines.

I'll start off by sharing the background regarding the following interaction.  I am part of a great on-line community of knitters/crocheters called Ravelry.  Within Ravelry there are numerous smaller communities, many of which have their own forums.  I am a member of the "Namaste Knitters" group, founded by fellow blogger, knitter and yogini, Lauren.  We have an extensive forum, and I recently got more involved in posting there.

As an experienced yoga teacher and yoga therapist I particularly enjoy the Poses/Anatomy Questions/Injuries section.  It's great to see the questions that people have and to join in the solution brainstorming.  As a teacher I also find it helpful to develop my communication skills.  It's one thing to show someone a pose modification, and another to explain it to someone with neither photos nor a demonstration.

Over the weekend, a member of the group posted the following question (and has given me permission to share it as well as her response to my suggestions):

The question:  "...I have a question about aching legs: Whenever I do a lot of gardening, that evening, my legs really ache. It feels like it is in the muscles. I’m pretty sure it is not a back problem. I do yoga beforehand, and it does not seem to help. I was thinking perhaps doing some poses afterwards might be better, but I am not sure which poses are the best to try. My guess is that I am squatting/kneeling too much and that might be causing the problem. Any thoughts?"

My response:  "Hello _____.  Physical aches and pains from gardening are not unusual. As you pointed out, it is likely due to the squatting and kneeling that are involved. Doing some yoga beforehand is helpful, but may not be enough for your needs at this time. I feel that the best strategy is:

(1) Prepare your body before you garden by stretching the areas that get the most uncomfortable.
(2) Take “body breaks” during your gardening so that you give your body a chance to rest. If you were running for three hours straight, you would likely take at least a little break at some point. Gardening is also a physically demanding activity; your body needs to change positions or else it will complain.
(3) Just as you put your tools away carefully, take the time to thank your body for its work by giving it some more yoga when you’re done.

Each body break can be targeted and short…with just a nine-breath lunge for each leg you can ease a lot of the tightness that settles in while squatting. I recommend targeting your work on the hip flexors (front of hip), hamstrings (back of thigh) and outer hips in particular. The easiest way to do that without taking your yoga mat into the garden with you is to take advantage of a retaining wall or fencepost for support.

For the hip flexors: Do a simple lunge with your hands on the wall for support (if needed). Start with feet together, then step the right foot back about three feet, keeping both legs and all ten toes facing forward. Bend your left knee until it is directly over the ankle (for safety, do not bend the knee past the ankle). It’s okay (though less effective) if you don’t bend your knee that far, but make sure not to bend it further than that. Press the inner right heel into the earth while lifting the bottom of your belly up away from the left thigh. Breathe deeply and enjoy. Change sides.

For the hamstrings: Do a half forward bend with your hands on the wall, knees slightly bent so that you can really lift your sitting bones, and moving hands and bum away from each other to lengthen the spine. Stay for nine breaths.

For the outer hips: There are many ways to stretch the outer hip, but one that is convenient (considering what I’ve suggested above) is to stay in the half forward bend. Exhaling, press your right hand very strongly into the wall while bending your right knee and moving the left outer hip away from the wall. Inhale there. Exhaling, press the left hand into the wall while bending the left knee and moving the right outer hip away from the wall. Etc., etc.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Enjoy your garden!"

Member's Response:  "That is so helpful! Thank you so much! I will certainly do everything you suggest and let you know how it goes. There is so much to do in the garden this time of the year that it is easy to get carried away. And I forget I cannot do as much as I used to do when I would spend the entire day in the garden (I’m 61)....[added in a later post]... I worked outside for several hours yesterday and took breaks to do the stretches you suggested and I am delighted to say that I had no hip pain or myalgias yesterday or this morning. I also did the stretches and down dog when I was finished gardening too. Thanks so much!"

So, teachers, here's my thought-process for the suggestions I made:

• From the initial information shared, all I knew was that this gardener has some yoga experience (which doesn't tell me a whole lot, because there are numerous styles - each with a different emphasis on the physical practice and its application).  I knew that there were aches and pains in the legs, but no specifics such as knee, hip or back pain issues or conditions.
• As the primary rule of teaching is "Do no harm", and since I didn't have enough details to get into any kind of lengthy trouble-shooting, I decided to keep my recommendations as short, gentle and approachable as possible.  I also didn't want it to be such a fussy ordeal that the gardener wouldn't make the time for it (hence, no mat dragged into the back forty).
• I fixed my focus upon the main positions the gardener uses - squatting and kneeling, and applied my knowledge of anatomy, physiology and asana.  I narrowed down the likely culprits (as you read above) and opted for one simple-yet-effective pose/action for each.

This was an excellent training exercise for me.  I had to ensure that my directions were as clear and precise as I could get them.  I wanted to leave no room for "creative interpretation", so that the gardener would be safe AND would get the desired results.  It is easy to get long-winded in our explanations of things, particularly when its a topic about which we are enthusiastic and knowledgeable.  Here, I absolutely had to keep it short and sweet, something I plan on practicing more often!

During our yoga teacher training weekend this past weekend I used this example during our anatomy class.  It isn't enough to simply memorize some body parts; an asana teacher must be able to apply that knowledge to the practice in order to maximize efficacy and minimize the potential for injury.  The teachers-in-training gave great feedback about this learning exercise (and they had great answers, too!).

My colleague, Monette MacPherson, will be offering a Yoga Workshop for Home and Garden Maintenance (a.k.a. "Yoga for Gardeners") workshop at Maple Leaf Community Yoga this May.  Click here to learn more!

Comments

[gudrun]

I'm very excited to see that you'll be sharing some interesting discussions for fellow teachers...I'll be an avid reader!

[Diane]

This is a great post - particularly your comments on how you planned and structured your reply. Thank you!