Our journey away from Pain through Yoga
BackPosted by Karen and Kev Green (Mind & Body Consultants) on 20 Nov 2017
Like many people, my husband Kev and I came to yoga for help with injuries – a chronic back condition for him, and the aftermath of a car accident for me. The difference is, we loved yoga so much, we both made a career out of it!
I was a Karate champion but had to give it up after a road traffic accident. As well as losing the sport I loved, I was left with a painful neck condition. I had a course of Full Movement Method treatments, which consisted of deep tissue massage, mobilisations and applied yoga stretches, and was advised to take up yoga to help my condition.
I was so impressed by my recovery I decided to take a study course with the British School of Yoga, this was initially for my own self-development, but I quickly realised it was something I wanted to make a career out of. I subsequently went on to train with Shanti Yoga School and also qualified with them as an Advanced Remedial Yoga Teacher.
Kev was a policeman and had suffered periods of back pain since the age of 17, but at 42, it took a turn for the worse and he had to take several months off work. At times his back was so painful, especially in the mornings, he could hardly bend over the sink to brush his teeth. He went to see a specialist and was given the diagnosis of Spondilylothesis (a crack in the vertebrae), two trapped nerves and disc compression. He was then moved from an active job to a desk job.
Kev saw how much yoga had helped me, and after some gentle persuasion (!), was finally persuaded to give it a go, and hasn’t looked back since, retiring from the Police Force and qualifying as a Yoga Teacher and Full Movement Method Practitioner. Kev’s mobility, flexibility, strength and view of life have taken a major turning point and he is enjoying following this life changing path.
At our classes, we have complete beginners to seasoned yogis and yoginis who have been doing yoga for years. When we are teaching, we offer modifications so that there is something for everyone – we want you to challenge yourselves, but work within the limits of your body. By practising yoga, you will gently expand what your body can do over time - who’d have thought when we were suffering with our aches and injuries all those years ago that the pair of us would now be teaching yoga and helping other people in pain.