Yoga for Scheuermann's Kyphosis?

Hi Gem - I know you are asking about yoga - but have you thought about Pilates at all?
I have a couple of people with Scheuerman's and they have done very well, improving in mobility and strength, and keeping the spine supple.
You would need to go to a good teacher and a small class, if you did decide to do it,
Just a thought,
Sharon.

Hi Sharon,

I did some mat Pilates a couple of years ago at my local gym, which i enjoyed. I have joined a new gym, but not been going much and they don't do Pilates at the moment, I have seen a couple of classes advertised, but they clash with my uni days. I am studying in Central London, but live in Middlesex so it tends to be a real nightmare Tuesdays and Thursdays which seems to be when classes run.

I wanted to do yoga for a few other reasons, not just posture. Good that Pilates does have success, but the people who have taught me in the past have all been gym instructors on weekend courses and to be honest some of them didn't teach it very well and some moves were not done correctly which could have led to injuries. I would prefer to have somebody who has done more training, any suggestions where to look for instructors/classes?

Yes try here -
Good luck!
Sharon

I've done a number of yoga styles over the years: Hatha / Sivananda / a bit of Ashtanga and now I do Iyengar. Personally I prefer Iyengar because the detailed instruction you get in each and every pose is excellent. The teacher's have studied for years [this can't be said about some other yoga styles], the classes are generally smaller - so you get much more attention and personal hands-on correction [which again, can't be said for other styles].

For instance in an Iyengar class you could spend quite a lot of time learning the correct way to stand in tadasana [mountain posture] - which is literally learning how to stand upright correctly and just through that "simple" [but incredibly difficult to master] pose you will learn how to engage all the necessary muscles - from the soles of the feet upwards - to begin to re-align the spine.

Each class has a "lesson plan" and good teachers will devise a series of lessons which build on each other. Periodically there will a class with focusses on pranayama [breathing] which is excellent for people with kyphotic posture, as the tend to breathe shallowly and have decreased lung capacity. Iyengar yoga also makes use of props, such as bolsters, bricks, blocks and belts which encourage correct alignment from the off, no matter how inflexible you may be in the beginning.

A wonderful pose for someone with kyphosis is to lie with their legs up a wall with their upper body [thoracic and cervical spine] supported on a bolster and the arms out to the side - this completely opens up the chest and encourages deep breathing.

I could go on and on...............

Do give it a try!

Try Scaravelli inspired

Hi,
As you're in London, you could try looking for a Scaravelli inspired yoga class. Vanda Scaravelli, who developed this approach, had a very strong scoliosis, and developed a way of working which helped her to improve elasticity and flexibility in her spine. Hope this helps.
Catherine