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How does one maintain utility to say the least of suppleness and strength in wrists, hands, and shoulders when work ties you to a computer for hours on end?
A few years ago, the first time I felt twinges in my right (mouse) hand, I was utterly aghast. I suppose it is a reaction akin to when overweight people seem shocked that their cholesterol or blood sugar is high. We all know the risks, but the don’t seem to apply to ourselves. I knew my office had crap ergonomics and my home office crappier still. But feeling those scary twinges was a wake up. Seeing lovely young colleague A.T. with her whole wrist and upper arm encased in a brace, as another one. My former roomie B explained to me her mother’s carpal tunnel surgery, "yeah so they cut open your wrist and it’s like they pull or take out certain tendons here and here…" OMG.
P and I often joke that time will tell which is worse: engineer ass or therapist ass. We both sit on said asses most of the day almost every day and the spread of the buttocks paired with strain of the typing digits make for some grim postures by the time we get home. There were years that P’s back and shoulders rebelled from the 12+ hour days at Oracle, and sent him to chiropractor multiple times per week.
Several years ago my office spouse introduced me to the yoga teacher of my dreams, Sandy Blaine. She teaches for those Pixar people, and co founded Alameda yoga station. I’d had several yoga teachers. Sampled Aikido, modern dance, bellydance, more ballet, jazz, Bikram (hot) yoga, kickboxing, indoor rock climbing. All enjoyable enough but never was there a teacher I respected as much as my former ballet teacher. Until I met Sandy and realized that this lady was making changes in my 30+ body that I never would have thought possible. I credit her yoga with helping me avoid injury during these brutal triathlon/running/adventure race years.
A rather Fobby aquaintance of hours said "Ew! YOU go to yoga?!" to P when she hears us speaking about the weekend. I wanted to snap "get out of the dark ages ,woman." Many yoga teachers are men, and most male athletes have a glaring weakness in their flexibility. There is a gray haired man in our class, and if yoga can keep one that supple into the 60’s and beyond- it would be foolish to miss out. I had asked P for years and years to try it. He never had time. But followed his own stretch routine which was better than nothing. On a whim he finally put in my yoga video. And another. Then came to class with me. Oracle once declared him 13% disabled (what does that even mean?!) from repetititve stress injuries. Now he’s chiropractor free.
We get up early on Sundays to drive our butts to Alameda because Sandy knows her stuff so well, and learns each of our bodies individually. Gym quality yoga is when 25+ people cram into a room with a barely trained instructor up front. Sandy is a teacher-trainer, she and her 2 assistants roam the room throughout classes gently supporting and correcting poses. This is a woman whose smiling calm overlays her years of knowledge and practice. Worlds away from the young woman who teaches at my gym (where I go as a backup on days I can’t reach Alameda), M plays music during class and has to refer to written notes. She makes almost no corrections and I cringe inside as I restrain myself from adjusting my classmates whose necks or alignments are totally off whack. I fear they will hurt themselves. Sandy would never let that go without guiding someone into the proper modification.
Sandy knows which of us have tight hamstrings. Tight shoulders. Weak or strong ankles. Creaky hips. Who is most flexible where. Who hates inversions and who loves them. She could see instantaneously the legacy in my body of those ballet years. She knows what my feet struggle to unlearn. She knows how much I love the balance or extension poses that bring out the long buried arabesques within me.
Sandy will be autographing her newest book "Yoga for Computer Users" as well as leading simple seated stretches and answering back/neck/shoulder/wrist/hand questions Sunday, May 4 at 2 pm at Books Inc. in Alameda (Hooray for independent bookstores!!). If you spend your employed life attached to a keyboard, I highly recommend you come check out her book and tips. Besides, then you can partake in Alameda’s yummies directly afterwards! Burma Superstar, Tucker’s ice cream, Kamakura sushi, Calafia Taqueria, the HobNob, Pappo’s…mmmm mmmm Alameda!
Sadly P and I will miss it. Not so sadly, it is because we will be frolicking in Monterey to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. (How time flies!)
We’ll have Sandy autograph her book next time we come to class at the yoga room.
more info: www.booksinc.net or google Alameda Yoga station.
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