Ok, I have to vent, but I just read an article from the NY Times titles "How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body", and it's just does not do yoga justice.

The article seems to point out all the potential and some actual injuries that people have suffered while doing yoga, but fails to mention a) the great benefits of doing yoga, b) that just because those people got hurt while in yoga class, they probably had an underlying problem that caused those issues, and c) that there is risk in anything you do.

As a chiropractor, former yoga practitioner for many years, and a fitness enthusiast I have seen my share on injuries both in and out of the office. 

When it comes to yoga, I have always advise my patients to build up slowly, listen to their bodies and stay within their skill level.  But that is my advise for just about anything they do. Sitting on a desk and typing can cause severe neck and back injuries, but I don't advise my patients to quit their jobs.  We find a way to modify their work environment, and usually do stretches while at work to prevent and alleviate problems.

Usually doing nothing is just as dangerous as doing something when it comes to exercise, so don't be dissuaded from taking action, even if it's a yoga class.  The benefits usually outweigh the risks.

Here are some local Santa Monica Yoga Studios

1.Yogis Anonymous -www.yogisanonymous.com/

2.Yoga Co. -www.yogaco.com

3. Power Yoga (Bryan Kest's) Santa Monica -www.poweryoga.com

4. Santa Monica Yoga -www.santamonicayoga.com

5. Bhakti Yoga Shala -www.bhaktiyogashala.com

6. Naam Yoga - www.naamyoga.com

7. Ellen Bain - Train With Yoga - www.ellenbainyoga.com

Dr. Eric - Your Santa Monica Chiropractor

Dear Friends,

I just wanted to pass along some information about a yoga/meditation/relaxation retreat.I know one of the instructors and she is great. 

 Peace and blessings,

 Dr. Eric

Ladies, Ladies, Ladies!  This one if for you!  

Yesterday I had a new patient come in with chronic headaches, neck and shoulder pain on the left.  She also was carrying a purse that weighed about 12 pounds...on the left side.  Clearly there is a connection here.  Carrying a heavy load over and over again will undoubtedly cause a strain on your body.

I can assure you that you are carrying more than what you need in that purse (I have a wife, I know!).  My advise for you is to trim it out to the essentials.  If anything, leave a secondary purse in your car for the things you might need but don't need to travel with you everywhere.

Chronic stresses like that can create vertebral subluxations* that cause neck, shoulder pain and headaches.  This new patient had all of them! 

My job as a chiropractor is to identify not only your vertebral subluxations and correct them, but also what causes them in order to prevent them from happening.  In this case, one of the main stressors was easily identified, and can be easily corrected.

If you are suffering from chronic pain, and you haven't had your spine checked for subluxations, call your local chiropractor today.

Subluxation:
A misalignment in the bony structures of the spine. Subluxations can create pressure or irritation on the various nerves in your spine, and can cause a wide variety of symptoms throughout your body, such as localized pain, soreness, irregularity, and weakness. When pressure is applied on a nerve in your spine, the nerve energy is interrupted, and sometimes this can profoundly affect the function of other systems or organs in your body.

Dr. Eric - Your Santa Monica Chiropractor

Snowboarding and skiing are sports that commonly cause neck injuries such as whiplash.  Even small falls can cause severe damage to your tissues.  

While you are having fun, remember to protect yourself.  Pack a helmet, stretch before your go out on the slopes and stay well hydrated. 

Dr. Eric - Your Santa Monica Chiropractor

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Before becoming a Chiropractor I studied Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics.  Essentially this means that I learned at length what changes occur in the body as a result of exercise (and lack thereof).

I read an article yesterday about a 100 year old man who ran a marathon!  WOW.  Fauja Singh completed a marathon in Toronto.  I was both inspired and reminded that our bodies are amazing machines, the most advanced machines ever created because they have the ability to change and adapt on demand.  If you ask your body to lift heavy weights it will slowly build the strength it needs.  If you ask it to give you the endurance needed to run for 10 hours straight, it will slowly give you that endurance too.

Unfortunately, if you tell your body that none of those things are needed, it will take them away.  This is in line with the famous saying "a body in motion tends to stay in motion, a body at rest tends to stay at rest".

So if your body has been at rest for too long, get out there and do something.  No need to start with a marathon, but how about a walk?

 Dr. Eric -