Neck injury

The issues I’ve had in the past with my neck as I learned the intricacies of Iyengar and Ashtanga yoga, remind me that I’m aging. Yoga transcends some of the ailments, but I am proof of why it needs to be practiced mindfully.

Strengthen, protect your neck

With a bulged disc in my neck six years ago which pinched a nerve going all the way down my arm, I was left with a lifeless arm for six weeks. That was scary and, once healed with a chiropractor to adjust the neck vertebrae, relieve the strain, and get my nerves and muscles that atrophied back in a healthy state, was a wake-up call to protect my neck--this includes from stress, harmful yoga poses and mindless sleeping positions. 

Still, the answer was not to lay off my neck and all pressures completely. It was to strengthen it, and to do yoga mindfully—not needing to perform from my ego. This was before I practiced Mysore Ashtanga and trained myself to be more present, face my fears within my body and heal it.