confused

[reba]

I have the 15 pound clubbells. I also am not very flexible. In fact I was once told by a medical doctor that I have a very serious problem with flexibility. I am not sure why this is but I am. I have always been very active and have played a lot of different sports.

Last night I was watching Coach Sonnon demonstrate a stretch that targets the Piriformis muscle on you tube. I tried to do it and could not even get into the position.

There are several programs like the wellness, Intuflow, etc. that this website has. My question is for someone with my flexibility problems which one do I start with. I am willing to give an hour a day to working to improve my flexibility but I do not want to pay money for something I will not even be able to do. Do these programs offer alternative poses to get you to the flexibility stage where you will be able to do the program? I am very concerned that this may lead to a long term problem for me as I am already starting to have sciatic problems, etc.

Thank you!

Reba

[hideouse]

Reba, none of us come into this as able as Coach Sonnon. Every one of Scott's products has a ladder of movement that leads you into what you saw in his rishi twist. I recommend that you give it a try, but don't try to do the full advanced version of what you saw. Start with a small step. How about this: sit with your legs straight in front of you. raise one knee with that leg's foot on the floor, pull your knee to your chest and use your hips to pull your thigh to your belly. when that's easy, start using your hands on your knee to begin a twist of your torso. As that gets' easier, start putting your elbow outside your knee and use that leverage to aid your twist. This may take a day, this may take six months. It will depend on how quickly your body adapts to the stress of the new postures, and how your CNS adapts to the sensations of the movements involved.
Don't be in a hurry, it will come when it's ready, as long as you try a little every few days.

Edit: Everyone says to start with Intu-Flow. When you learn to relax into the movements of IntuFlow, other movements like the rishi twist get easier too.

[Coach Bentz]

Reba,

95+% of Intuflow is done standing up. My mother does it sitting down when she needs to.

[Paul K]

Reba quote: “Last night I was watching Coach Sonnon demonstrate a stretch that targets the Piriformis muscle on you tube. I tried to do it and could not even get into the position.”

There are modifications to these exercises that would allow you to get the desired benefits. Working with a CST coach would leap you forward with specific recommendations. Or you can stumble around in the dark.

Asking questions here are helpful, especially if you have the background knowledge of CST. But getting hands on guidance will jump start your progress.

[reba]

I did order the intu-Flow dvd's last night. I sure hope that they help me with my joint pain. I don't need to be as flexible as Coach Sonnon but I sure want to be able to do my daily activities with a small amount of pain. It would be great if I could relieve all the pain but I guess that is part of the process of getting older. Thanks to all for your help.

Reba

[Coach Gostnell]

I think Intu-Flow could very well help you if you stay with it and practice consistently. You don't specify much about the joint pain, and of course, you don't have to share medical info on the Forum, but I'm wondering about


...the pain...is part of the process of getting older.

Well maybe not. You mentioned a doctor said you had a problem with flexibility, in spite of an active life, but you're not sure why. Have you thought about having this checked out some more in case there's an issue than can be addressed medically? It's not a lot of fun going to doctors, and I have had experiences with a few who treat older patients ("older" apparently being anyone with 10 or 15 years on the doc!) with a "You're old. What do you expect?" attitude. Still, there could be a medical practitioner, body worker, or massage therapist who would actually work with you.

In any case, it seems only right you should be able to do your daily activities without pain - keep us posted on how you're doing.