Yoga Backends For Bruised Ribs: Open up and Breath Deep!

mackenzie miller and andrew abarria in a work of art by robert-sturman ak u — Mackenzie Miller and Andrew Abaria in a work of art by Robert Sturman for collection “Poetry of the Gods”

In Yoga the Most Important thing is the breath…especially when bruised ribs make it hard to catch your breath.

I know that you probably hear the teacher in yoga class (that would be me,… if you are coming to my classes) drone on and on about how important the breath is.

Is it sometimes repetitive just how many times I will encourage my students to breathe? Yep. However, it is just that important!

Need a breathing break? Well, first off you need to stretch out to make space for the breath!

In light of that let’s head over to The Hot and Healthy Blog to see how my good friend Mackenzie Miller (former student and now a kick-ass teacher at the luxurious David Barton Gym in Seattle!) helps her friend open up!

In article “Kick Your Bruised Rib to the Curb”
she says:

Beginning:

“Cow Face Pose
(You only need the arms but if you’d like a great glute/outer hip stretch add the arms. If you can’t interlace your hands then you can use a strap, towel, anything that links your hands together.”)
Fish Pose
Cobra Pose
Upward Facing Dog
Bridge Pose

More Advanced:

Camel Pose
Twisted Triangle

(“This pose you’d only want to twist and open up the side of the ribs that are bruised, since as you twist the other ribs are collapsed. This would be once you start feeling much better.”)

“Please let me know if you have ANY questions. This is a good place to start. Even just laying off the edge of your bed and extending your arms overhead should give you an intense stretch. The most important thing is that you listen to your body and TAKE IT SLOW!”

And then lets hear what YisforYogini has learned recently about breathing (also a former student and now in the midst of the 200 Teacher Training at Yogaworks with Kia Miller and David Kim)

In her article { life’s parachutes } yoga + the diaphragm
She says:

“When you understand that your diaphragm draws down as you inhale and upward as you exhale, you can begin to comprehend HOW you make space. You can actually visualize what happens as you breathe, which is immensely helpful for being with and in your own body. Instead of being outside of it and experiencing respiration from a figurative distance, you’re now armed (diaphragmed?) with deep anatomical knowledge.”