Mandy works with the following back concerns:
- Scoliosis (one of my passions since I personally have scoliosis)
- Generalized back pain (from poor posture, tight muscles, etc.)
- Hyper-kyphosis (an exaggerated forward rounding of the upper back)
- Hyper-lordosis (an exaggerated curve in the cervical or lumbar spine)
- Herniated discs
- Spondylolisthesis (one or more vertebrae “slip” out of the vertebral column)
- Osteoporosis
- Degenerative Disc Disease
More on Scoliosis:
Scoliosis is relatively complicated in terms of physical alignment. For each curve, there is a corresponding concavity. The spine also rotates. And if the curve is in the thoracic spine, the ribs rotate and spread on the curve side while compressing on the concave side. The greater number of lateral curves in the spine, the more complicated this gets. If you do not correct for these asymmetries while doing yoga/pilates/working out, you continue to strengthen the scoliotic pattern. When we have asymmetries, we must work asymmetrically. This means that we don’t do yoga with traditional alignment, and for most two-sided poses, we do them differently on the left and the right.
Practicing yoga with scoliosis can be confusing and overwhelming, and can leave you prone to injury. But with careful attention to alignment, and greater awareness of your postural habits, you can learn to practice safely. I can help with step by step instruction, and hands on adjustments that help you to address your pain, asymmetries, and imbalances.
My own journey down this path has been remarkable. I went from having a 77 degree curve and extremely intense back spasms several times a day to having a 63 degree curve and living pain free in a matter of months.
I’m sure you have a lot of questions and I’ve done my best to answer them on the Backcare FAQs page. If you have remaining questions, don’t hesitate to contact me with specific details about your individual spinal situation to learn more: mandysergent@hotmail.com
Pricing
All sessions cost $90/hour. Please be aware that the first session involves a lot of information gathering and education before we can begin any yoga postures. Any time spent before your session reviewing x-rays/MRIs/Doctor reports is not billed. Additionally, after your session, you will receive an email which includes photos of you in the postures we discussed along with the key details for alignment, set-up and (if you have scoliosis) how to address your individual curve pattern.
What are students saying about Mandy’s backcare and scoliosis yoga?
“Week by week I had a better understanding of my unique spine. I gained confidence, moving through the postures in class and practicing them at home. I felt the change and am now free of the pain, tension and patterns I have created.” ~ Jennifer T.
“I found this scoliosis yoga series very helpful. I found that in 5 weeks, I noticed a decrease in back pain, which was wonderful. I find it is easier to stand straighter, which was difficult for me before and something I had to think about and work at doing. It was so helpful to have this small class because Mandy was able to give us individual attention and she made sure that we did the poses in the correct way so it was most beneficial to correct our specific curves.”
“This class brought the joy back to yoga for me. I was sad and frustrated when my old yoga practice no longer seemed to feel good, but now I have the knowledge to understand why and I’m able to adjust my practice so that it works for my body.” ~ Kim H.Save