Category: Wednesday Q&A

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about teaching advice, handstands, and the multifidus muscle. 

Your questions:

• I’m on maternity leave from teaching right now. And some of my quiet time I spend evaluating my teaching, classes, etc. I’ve been journaling about my strengths and teaching, but also my weaknesses, how I experience them. One of the things I really want to work on is not being such a perfectionist with my students. Sometimes I have a hard time keeping the flow in the class because I want everyone to get it just right and really feel it. I can sense that some really thrive with it, but others get bored and lose interest. What is your and Kristin’s advice on how to balance the two – helping students, but also keeping a good flow?
• I love doing handstands and various other primal movements involving weight-bearing through the wrists. While not a debilitating injury, I have noticed pain in my ulnar side wrist on both sides when taking my wrist through a supination motion. My research indicates that this may be an injury to the triangular fibrocartilage complex, a common injury that gymnasts and calisthenic practitioners experience. Do either of you have experienced treating this type of injury? What would you recommend I start doing to improve this?
• Why had I never heard about the multifidus muscle through decades of back care? Would you be willing to discuss or demo exercises focusing on the multifidus? 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Visit almondcow.co/shop and use code LARA for a discount off your purchase!

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about neck crunching sounds, spinal manipulation, and pyramid pose. 

Your questions:

• A couple of weeks ago I was practicing a class on LYT Daily. After doing a neck release with the block right afterwards getting out of the pose, I can hear around C1 and C2 there’s a crunching sound, pretty loud. It’s been a few weeks now. I’m not so worried about it as it is not hurting me or affecting me in any way except for the loud sound when I rotate my neck to the left/right as well when I do shoulder rolls. What do you think might have happened and do you think this sound will ever go away?
• I’ve been wondering what you think about “specialists” who manipulate each other’s spines. Is this safe and does it help in any way? What kind of method is it? I know enough about physiology and anatomy, and for me, it seems to be dangerous. There are a lot of videos like this on social media and it is disturbing. They do a show out of these cracks and popping sounds.
• I have long legs and a short torso. Because of this, I find in some poses, like Pyramid, I can’t keep my ribs off of my thighs without using blocks. But if I look back on videos of my practice, I do feel like my spine is neutral even without the blocks. However, I know that we receive cues to keep the ribs away from the legs in poses like that. Is it an issue that my ribs are on my thighs if I’m staying integrated in my core? 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsors:

• Shop my favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code “LYT” to save 30%. aminoco.com/LYT
• Visit relationshipschool.com/lara to get 50% off your first month of relationship coaching.

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about heel pain, bone spurs, and more foot pain. 

Your questions:

• I have this new thing happening since being pregnant. Not sure if one has to do with the other. When I flex my right foot, I feel a painful, almost pinprick sensation in my right heel. This happens when I step forward into a low lunge and when I do standing L with my right foot forward. Any thoughts on what could be causing this and suggestions on how to heal my heel? 
• Can you speak about why bone spurs happen and is there anything one can do to get rid of them besides surgery?
• I’ve had problems with my feet for a few weeks. It started with pain in the left heel. Then I redeveloped bunions on the outside of the foot joint of the little toe. I had these last winter, probably because of my shoes. I did a lot of foot exercises, toe cars, arch strengthening, etc. and I’m wearing a toe spacer almost every night. Throughout the summer, I was almost always barefoot and had no problems at all. Even when hiking for hours and hours in rigid hiking shoes. The bunions and the pain came when I first had to wear shoes again because of the weather. I wear the shoes of my flatmate because she has bigger feet and it felt better to have more space. I just wore them for like 10 to 20 minutes, a few days a week when going to the grocery store or something like that. I work from home, so I’m barefoot all the time. After a few days I had this weird heel pain and the joint of my little toes started to hurt as well as become red and swollen. I immediately stopped wearing my flatmate’s shoes and bought my first pair of Vivo barefoot shoes. Now I’ve been working on my hip mobility and glutes, hips, pelvis function a lot lately. Maybe this has something to do with that. It feels like it came out of nowhere. But I listen to enough of your podcast and know that nothing really comes out of nowhere. I have no idea what to do and or to what kind of physician I could go as my experiences with orthopedists aren’t very encouraging to do that again. I would love to hear your opinions and I’m thankful, as always, for every tip and idea.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Visit tryveganmealprep.com and get 25% off your first order with promo code LYTYOGA

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about weight training, pain in back bending, yin yoga poses, and the importance of controlling your pelvis. 

Your questions:

• You talked about weight training a couple of weeks ago on the podcast. You mentioned it was beneficial to incorporate it, especially as we age. Could you define a little bit more about what you mean when you talk about weight training? I don’t like lifting heavier traditional weights in general. It just feels off in my body most of the time. And I prefer resistance bands, wrist and ankle weights, sandbags, and an exercise ball. Would you classify those kinds of props as weight training? Is there a certain weight range that’s recommended to build up? And secondly, you mentioned that it was particularly necessary for women, for our bone health as we go through menopause. Does this mean it’s less essential for men? 
• When I practice yin yoga there are two poses that irritate me: Sphinx and Bridge with the block underneath my coccyx with the legs out straight, extended. I have no problem doing bridge pose, wheel pose, and upward-facing dogs in yang styles, which would be vinyasa styles. But these two static poses caused me problems in my lower back on the right side at the SI joint. I assume it comes from compression of tissue, but I’m surprised I feel absolutely nothing in yang styles or when doing long-distance runs, cross-country skiing, or salsa dancing. I’m a great forward binder. I like arm balances. My right hand is the strong hand and I have rather loose ligaments. I try to focus on strength. My weaknesses are hip flexion despite the loose ligaments, maybe because I am a long-distance runner, and backbends. I call it weakness, not because it bothers me, but just compared to what it looks like on average. Now and then I try these poses again and see whether something changed. The problem has persisted for around two years now. What would you recommend? Massages? Working on strengthening my glutes? Hip flexion and back bends did not really improve the situation or only very slightly. 
• I love LYT so much and it has helped me counteract years of dance. I still practice ballet and wonder how do I better educate people who want to just bend their spines and lock out their knees? In other words, why is it so important to control the pelvis?

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Visit almondcow.co/shop and use code LARA for a discount off your purchase!

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about avoiding bruised toes from hiking downhill, monthly cycle as relates to energy levels and delayed onset muscle soreness, muscle soreness from yoga and massage, and is LYT yoga enough movement?

Your questions:

• How to avoid bruised toes while hiking downhill. 
• I have a question about post-workout pain and levels of energy. I have noticed that at certain times of the month I have longer-lasting DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) and lower energy and try to choose a gentler practice. 
• After a particularly strong class, I was sore in parts that I’m not used to working as much like my arms and calves. It lasted like five days. A week after that, I had a massage and she worked a lot on my shoulders. They were not sore at the start, but by the end it was painful. She told me that I had lactic acid buildup, which I did not think was possible. Even though my muscles got worked and tired. I had not done any exercises to the point of being able to having to stop and catch my breath in a week and just a consistent LYT yoga practice, my shoulders were not even the sore part after the fire class. So I’m wondering what was she feeling digging about in there? 
• Do you think that LYT is enough movement or do you do other things? 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Shop my favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code “LYT” to save 30%. aminoco.com/LYT
• Visit relationshipschool.com/lara to get 50% off your first month of relationship coaching.

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about why men think they aren’t flexible enough to do yoga, advice for dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, and working through depression. 

Your questions:

• Why is it that so many people believe that they aren’t flexible enough to do yoga, especially men? It is somehow in their mind that they have to be able to touch the floor in a standing forward fold with their legs straight?
• Could you talk about what you recommend for dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome and how to mobilize the first rib as well as what movements are helpful or to avoid to keep it from flaring up again?
• How to get rid out of depression and feeling down.

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Visit tryveganmealprep.com and get 25% off your first order with promo code LYTYOGA

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about knee pain, carrying angles, and the obturator internus muscle.

Your questions:

• I’ve been having intense knee pain that keeps me up for part of the night. I feel it a bit during the day, but it really kicks in when I lie down to sleep. I suspect osteoarthritis, but I feel I’m so young for that. I have a doc appointment soon. It’s in my family though. That being said, I’m super active daily. I walk a lot, practice LYT, and do some high-impact movement including jumping because I love it. I use a pillow under my knees or between depending on the position of sleep. I’m just discouraged and it feels like chronic pain right now that I have a hard time shaking off. Would you recommend any specific movement or discourage other movements? I love hiking and just the idea of not being able to move freely scares me and makes me borderline depressed. 
• I know you have recently talked about carrying angles on your podcast, but I have a question about a student. (Attached are pics of her in down dog and standing.) She feels like her arms are straight in down dog. I’ve queued to lift up in the hip crease, lift abdominals and ribs and this is how her down dog looks like. Would her carrying angle have something to do with this? Would this cause issues and injuries down the track at all? Any tips/adjustments required would be appreciated. 
• Wondering if you have any thoughts/insight about the obturator internus. Mine is aggravated. I think it’s referring to my glute, hip, and hamstring. I thought it was proximal hamstring tendinopathy, but after a very invasive manual check, they think it’s the obturator internus. When it’s aggravated, forehead folds, even with bent knees, are uncomfortable, maybe even more so than straight legs. Do you have any suggestions for different movement patterns?

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsors:

• Visit almondcow.co/shop and use code LARA for a discount off your purchase!
• Shop my favorite 100% Science-Backed Amino Acid Supplements. Enter code “LYT” to save 30%. aminoco.com/LYT

Welcome to Wednesday Q&A, where you ask questions and we answer them!

In this Wednesday Q&A, we answer your questions about shoulder impingement from COVID shots, how the LYT team met, finding a neutral pelvis when it’s laterally tilted. 

Your questions:

• I had four COVID shots and a flu shot in the same arm over the span of a year plus. Removal of lymph nodes requires shots in only one arm. The second COVID booster shot in March left my arm with a slight impingement. I’ve had a hard time raising my arm from the front, not the side, without a painful ache. I tried percussion massage, massage, and strength training. Nothing seems to help. Does anyone else have this issue with vaccinations? Any thoughts on a remedy or just wait it out some more? Thank you in advance. 
• How did Lara, Kristin, & Rhonna meet?
• My pelvis is tilted laterally and puts a lot of strain on that sit bone, hip, and hamstring. I’m constantly struggling to keep my pelvis neutral during pyramid, standing split, and runner’s stretch. Any cues to LYT up that area, to hug it into neutral? 

To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: lytyoga.com/blog/category/podcasts/

Do you have a question?

• DM Lara on Instagram: @lara.heimann
• DM Kristin on Instagram: @kbwilliams99
• Email us at support@old.lytyoga.com

Sponsor:

• Visit relationshipschool.com/lara to get 50% off your first month of relationship coaching.