The path to yoga is catapulted through an event of either physical and/or mental adversity. It is not uncommon to have many a yoga practitioner embrace and become an advocate for practicing yoga to heal the body and the mind. To stress this point, I will provide my personal account that lead me to the path of yoga. I had started yoga in conjunction with pilates as a method of weight management and improved fitness soon after delivering my third child in 2003.

I eventually evolved and discovered that yoga is much more then a form of exercise the spiritual and mental benefits are unlike anything I ever did. The final factor transforming me was a singular event which changed my direction. I was involved in a motor vehicle accident suffering whiplash. This resulted in acute pain from symptomatic herniated discs C-4 to C-6. I was told I could not practice podiatry and may not perform surgery in the O.R . for up to six months. The acute inflammatory stage lasted 6 weeks in which pain management and physical therapy took place. To wean off of pain meds and physical therapy, I was told to get back to yoga which will remove pain, stiffness and return my mobility and normal function. Within one month I was up to 80% full capacity. I attribute yoga to my lifestyle changes in which unhealthy habits were easier to release and my need for any further medical treatment was minimal if augmentary at best.

Injuries improved by yoga:

1. Tendonitis/ rotator cuff injuries

2. Arthritis

3. Back and Neck pain

4. Carpal tunnel syndrome

5. Migraine headaches

6.Fibromyalgia

7. Anxiety/ Depression/ Postpartum Depression

8. Insomnia

9. Cancer pain management

10. HIV

11. Asthma

12. Hypertension

13. Cardiac Patients

13. Diabetes

14. Irritable Bowel Syndrome

15. Neuropathy

16. Achilles tendonitis

17. Plantar Fasciitis

20. Lateral Ankle Instability

This is just a small list. Currently studies are being conducted to quantify some of the qualitative methods reached toward proving all the health benefits of yoga.