No, this isn’t a self-deprecating statement.
I created this post some time in the fall of 2013 after an unfortunate incident between my toe and a dumbbell. I developed a yoga practice to be performed without harming my sensitive toesies. My intention was to illustrate yoga poses with photos of myself performing them. My youngest daughter who is IMHO an excellent photographer, was to snap them for me.
But life got in the way. My paying gig became more demanding and next thing I knew ADAT had taken not just a back seat, but actually a more remote spot in the back of the closet.
Fast forward to May 28, 2014. I broke my ankle in my front yard. I was wearing flip flops, the grass was wet, I was in a hurry, the yard was sloped and there was one little muddy spot between me and the car parked on the street I was headed for. Combine all these things, designed either by fate or bad and/or good fortune, and it spells a nasty spiral fracture of the fibula. This required a week’s wait before surgery and two weeks of bed rest and elevation afterward.
Last week I was cleared by my doctors to begin moving the offending leg and foot. I’ve progressed to the point of being able to more easily maneuver around my home, and the gentle movement of my foot and ankle has launched the process of healing and the reversal of swelling.
I’m dusting off this post. I’m going to be trying the practice I have developed. I fully expect, as this injury is far more severe than the last, I will have to further modify the practice. I will track my progress on this blog. I do this for myself as a tool for healing, but also with the idea that someone out there may be in just the shape I’m in, and could benefit from my learning.
The entire practice developed last year is described below. I will start working with it tomorrow.
Practicing Yoga with a Broken Toe
I recently broke a toe on my left foot, and after a couple of days rest and several more of nothing but restorative yoga, my body was craving some good work!
As a yoga teacher I am often called upon to adjust poses for students. There are various reasons this is required. Injury, lack of flexibility, or a difference in the individual’s body design can make a pose inaccessible. Now it’s time for me to modify the practice for myself. These kinds of challenges are, yes, challenging—but they also afford me the opportunity to grow a little with my own practice as well as offer new insights for teaching.
It took several tries to develop what I needed. Anyone with a broken 4th toe can make use of my experience. But each injury requires a different variety of modifications. Perhaps some, but not all of the modifications will work for those having other leg or foot injuries, but these adjusted asanas might inspire other ideas. Of course, it goes without saying, make sure to check with your doctor before performing this practice.
My Lame Yoga Practice
First of all, remember to start with some centering work. Focus on knowing that everything we experience while in this side of our life is temporary and can offer valuable experiences for learning and growing. Be at peace and tend to yourself while sending out thanks for the body’s ability to heal.
1. Sitting: I like to begin with sitting and that brings me to my first issue. I really can’t sit comfortably in my normal posture, easy pose, or sukhasana. The side of my foot pushes into the floor and causes my toe to bend a little. Ouch! To modify, use a rolled up towel or blanket to prop the ankle so the foot hangs above the floor. Once you are settled and comfortable, become quiet and follow the breath to allow the chit-chatty mind to get still. Allow the thoughts to come and go and make an effort to merely acknowledge them, neither forcing them off or clinging to them. They are just bits of moving energy that will pass. Enjoy your stillness for as long as you wish.
2. Spinal movements: Taking the spine through all spinal movements is essential to maintaining health, especially when you are spending a great deal of time being sedentary. If the spine ain’t happy, nobody’s happy, so make this work a priority! While still in this seated position you can easily knock them out. This work could even be done in bed with legs hanging off the side, but when you are ready for mat work, here’s a lame option.
Twisting: Begin by inhaling and lengthening the spine toward the ceiling as you imagine your comfortable platform, your bottom, putting down roots and keeping you secure. Begin rotating the navel toward the left an inch or two as you exhale. Maintain your slight twist and inhale as you lengthen the spine again, and then rotate the waist around on the next exhale. Lengthen with each inhale and continue your twist around with each exhale as you gradually move your twist up the spine. Finally, look over your left shoulder gently if this feels acceptable to your body. By moving the spine into the twist bit by bit, you can monitor your balance and the amount of twist you bring into the pose. You should be able to notice the twist all the way up and down the spine, but not feel that you are wrenching anything too tightly. A good rule of thumb is to do what you can do with little effort and then do just a bit more. Move the hands around as you twist, but rest them and avoid letting them “help” with the work. Experience the twist for 6 or so deep breaths. You may feel the need to back off or twist further while you settle in. Let this gentle practice be a time to explore what your body is telling you. Slowly untwist back around and take the twist to the other side.
Side bending: Bring the hands behind the head and interlace the fingers, keeping your elbows open. Lengthen the spine on the inhale and begin bending to the left on the exhale. Imagine the right side as long and round. See your right ribs open like an accordion and image the breath being exhaled through the left side as you sink into the fold. Hold this pose for several breaths. Your core muscles are doing the work in this side bend option. While still in the fold, release your hands and take the left hand to the floor and reach the right hand toward the ceiling. Notice how you can fold further once the hand is supporting your weight and the core muscles are allowed to relax. This allows the core muscles to lengthen. Hold here for 6 deep breaths and then repeat on the other side.
Forward fold: Still sitting on your blanket, take the roll from under your ankle and rotate it 90 degrees. Place the roll toward the end of the mat so you can stretch your legs out long with ankles on top of the roll. Keep the back long and the head moving upward as you fold forward. You’ll want most of the lengthening to be felt in the back of the legs and not the low back, so avoid rounding over the legs. Your lumbar may be stiffer than usual, so be very careful not to over-extend. Stop when you begin to feel challenge in the legs and hold for several breaths. Continue to reach the head and torso forward and up. To come out of the pose, use the hands to bring the torso back upright.
Back bend: Remain in the same seated position as for forward fold and place your blocks or a couple of books to either side and a few inches back of each hip. Place your palms on the blocks with your fingers hanging over the edge and facing forward. Inhale as you lift and open the chest. Move the shoulder blades toward each other in the back. Lift the chest toward the heavens and look upward, taking care to keep the back of the neck long and not compressing the cervical spine. Continue to lift through the chest and drop the shoulder blades down and inward as you breathe through the pose. Imagine your heart becoming so big and full of love that it is lifting your whole chest with the buoyancy of a helium balloon. Continue to imagine the shoulder blades relaxing downward and the neck lengthening. After six or so breaths come back to neutral.
Child’s pose: Finish the warming up section with a little child’s pose reverie. If the foot touching the floor is an issue, create a stack of several blankets and kneel on them so the feet can hang off the edge. Place the head on another blanket or your block or stacked books to make the head more even with your kneeling platform. If you are still experiencing discomfort from your foot making contact with the floor, simply cross the feet so the injured side is on top. Ahh….. enjoy your time in balasana. We’ll add some moderate physical challenge next.
3. A little bit of work
Apanasana: This Sanskrit term literally means “wind relieving pose,” and you’ll see why. This pose offers a mild abdominal workout as well as stimulation for the digestive system, thus the name. And the lumbar gets a bit of message to boot. Lay on the back and draw the knees toward your chest. Place each hand on the corresponding knee. The hands and arms will ride along but not do the work. Use the abdominals for this and make sure your lumbar is flat to the floor. As you inhale, have the knees move forward until the arms are fully extended. With the exhale and using your abdominals, draw the knees back in toward the chest. Repeat this for 6 or more breaths, using slow, even breaths to set the pace.
Advanced apanasana: As you get stronger, you can add challenge by taking the hands behind your head, interlacing your fingers, and lifting the head and the shoulders toward the knees as you exhale. Slowly lay the head back down with the inhalation. Be sure to keep the elbows wide, and always remain aware of the lumbar. If you find it is pulling up off the mat, return to the original work until you can ensure it stays flat.
Modified pigeon: The psoas muscle group is an important set of muscles that need to be stretched often and usually doesn’t get as much work as is needed. The shortening of these important muscles from extended sitting and forward bending is probably responsible for most low back issues. Getting lengthening in for these guys is tricky with a busted foot. I tried a number of alternatives and came up with this modified pigeon approach. Care will need to taken getting into position, but once you are there it should really feel awesome. You’ll need a couple of blankets and a rolled up towel. Place the two folded yoga blankets on top of each other to form a stack toward the front of your mat and edge it toward the side of the mat that the uninjured leg is on. Take the rolled up towel toward the back of the mat. Begin in a kneeling position and carefully maneuver the ankle of the leg on the injured side top side down onto the roll behind you. Now lift the opposite knee up and place the hip onto the blanket stack. Position the front shin as close to perpendicular to the mat as is comfortable. In doing this, be careful not to wrench the knee! The last thing you need is another injured limb, so honor what your body tells you. Only move it forward as far as feels really good. Keep your hands on the floor on either side to help you stay balanced, and either lean your body forward or lift the torso up into a slight back bend if that feels good. Either of those positions is fine. The focus of this pose is the front inner thigh. Once into position, focus on the length you are creating between the two knees. This muscle group really delights in this work so breathe through it and enjoy! If your injury makes this difficult, save it for a day or so when you are feeling a little better.
Of course, you’ll need to do this on the other side. Come back to hands and knees. You’ll move the blanket stack to the other side of the mat. You won’t really need the roll under the ankle for the other leg, but go ahead and use it to keep the work you are doing balanced on either side. Once you have the uninjured leg propped on the roll, bring the injured side forward and lay the hip and bent leg onto the stack. You can hang the hurt foot off the side. Try to make the work you do on either side as similar as possible, but don’t worry about it to the extent that you risk re-injuring the hurt foot. After a short stay on that side, return to hands and knees.
Plank: For a little upper body work, spend some time in plank. Place a folded blanket under your knees for cushioning. From hands and knees, walk the hands a few inches forward keeping the feet upward. You can cross them if that is easier to maintain. Lower the pelvis until the body comes into a straight line from the knees to the shoulders. You’ll want to be aware of two things; often it feels as if the body is straight when the hips are really at a bit of an angle, so look in a mirror or have someone advise you as to whether your body is in a straight line or not. Once that has been seen to, check that your arms are directly under your shoulders. This makes a much more stable support for the pose. Ensure the neck is in a neutral position by looking directly at the floor and keeping the back of the neck long. Stay here for 6 or so breaths.
Upward facing dog: From plank move into upward facing dog from the knees. The most important thing to be aware of here is that you don’t let go of control of this pose. Make sure your abdominals are holding the torso in place. In other words, you can let go of your abdominal strength and sink lower into a drooping back bend, but this is dangerous. Only allow yourself to drop as far as you can support with your abdominal strength. Hold for 3 to 6 breaths or until you feel you are losing your abdominal support.
4: Moving inward: For me, this preparation to becoming still is the most delicious part of the practice. After the body is stimulated by the healthy movement of the previous asanas, it will enjoy the restorative poses that follow.
Supported side-bend: Take one blanket and make a roll. Place it perpendicular to and in the middle of your mat. Sit on your right hip with knees bent. Have your rolled towel in place to lay the ankle of the injured foot across at the bottom of the mat and another folded blanket at the head. Drape the torso over the roll sideways, placing your ankle on the roll and your head on the folded blanket. You can place your arms wherever they feel comfortable and allow balance. I enjoy placing the top arm over my head and onto the floor. As you breathe through the pose, imagine how the spine is adapting to the shape of the roll. The core muscles at the topside of the bend are receiving the benefit of relaxed lengthening. Breathe the ribs open with deep, smooth breaths. Exhale away tension with long, deep exhales. Stay here for as long as you like and then repeat on the other side. Be sure to use your hands to lift the torso upright before re-positioning.
Supported back bend: Roll over onto your back and place the spine over the roll and the ankle of the injured foot over the smaller towel roll. You’ll likely want to move the folded pillow for the head off the mat but you can leave it there if you are more comfortable with it. If the spine doesn’t love this backbend, you may need to decrease the size of your blanket roll. If so, roll to the side before getting up and unroll the blanket a bit and try again. Make this pose be just for you. Please do not try to grimace through a pose. This is designed to offer comfort and soothe the body, so work with it till you get it just right. Stay here as long as you like and then roll to the side and use your hands to lift your torso upright.
Supine twist with props: Make a stack with two folded blankets and place them in the middle of the mat long-wise. Have your towel roll ready at the foot of the mat. Sit on the right hip at the edge of the stack but not on it with knees bent and ankle of the injured foot on the roll. Twist the spine toward the stack and lay your torso onto the stack. The arms can drape to either side, and the head should face the same direction that the knees are pointed towards. Rest here in this supported twist for as long as you like, and then repeat on the other side.
Viparita karani: Maneuver the short side of the mat and a folded blanket next to a blank spot against the wall. Have the blanket be 8 inches or so away from the wall. Place the hip next to the stack with the back facing the wall and the knees bent toward the middle of the room. Lay the torso down on the mat, roll your hips onto the blanket stack, and swing your legs up the wall. You’ll want the legs to be at rest so if they tend to want to fall to the sides or bend, you can scoot away from the wall a bit. Maneuver until you make this position totally restful for you. This is a very relaxing pose, and the elevation of the feet will be good for the injury. Place the arms at your sides with your palms up, close your eyes, and enjoy. Breathe love and peace into yourself and wrap healing warmth around the injured foot with each deep breath. Finally, spend a little time with no wor. Just observe your own breathing.
To come out of the pose, roll to one side or the other, and lift your torso up with your hands.
Modified sitting pose: To complete the practice, return to your beginning sitting pose. Close your eyes and make the back tall and erect but relaxed. Let your face become soft. Let your shoulder blades drop. Sit and follow your own breathing for as long as you like.
Return slowly to your external world as you begin to notice the world around you.
Take care and happy healing! I hope you gain great insights as you recover.
Shanti, shanti, shati! Om