Yoga or pilates? ( or both!?)

[Petunias]

Hi does anyone do yoga or pilates regularly that would be able to tell me whether they found that one was more suitable than the other for endo?

[Neverending]

Hi Petunias,

I have never done pilates but have been doing yoga for about 5 years now, and in my experience it has been very beneficial to my health and mind. I was diagnosed with Endo 20 years ago and have had 3 major surgeries been on prostab injections numerous times and had countless visits back and forth to the docs/hospital. I have been trying the last couple of years to change my lifestyle to try control the pain/symtoms of endo. I believe yoga has really helped me stay flexible as 1 problem with endo is that everything gets stuck together and yoga can help keep everything moving, there are days when I can't stretch as much as others due to the pain and you should be careful around your period especially in down dog as it has been suggested that this may cause the flow to go backwards. (I read that online so don't know how true it is but we can never be to careful). Also i find that when I am doing yoga i feel calmer and therefore helps with stress and I try and imagine my body healing and being healthy. I believe any exercise is good for endo and in my experience it helps me take back control of my body and stay strong as I just think 'yes i am going to the gym this endo isn't going to stop me'. even though in reality it does on occasion.

I say give both a go and see what your body responds too x

[Petunias in reply to Neverending]

Thanks for this - I used to do Yoga regularly about 10 years ago and loved it - not sure why I stopped really. I've never done Pilates but have not really known the difference other than one is more about strengthening the core than the other. From what I can work out I think it must be that Pilates is more intensive than Yoga from a muscle perspective - I'm wanting to be cautious about this in case I have iC so I was leaning towards yoga but I know some people struggle with it too. Glad to hear Yoga works well for you though - now that I'm 6 weeks post lap I might book myself into a class and see how I get on Interesting about down dog - I'm not a believer in retrograde theory tbh but that said - I'm not sure I'd want to risk the possibility either lol !!

[Impatient]

either one must be done gently. If you have existing endo inside -remember they are very unstable little wounds with fragile menstrual lining covers on them which are designed to shed each month. Anything too vigorous and you may cause the endo to shed its cover and bleed. and bleeding can cause pain.

You might also have adhesions which are glueing organs together and stretching adhesions can hurt, if they rip then it can be seriously painful, so be gentle with whatever sports you do bearing in mind what you know about your insides. If you try the activity and it hurts too much afterwards then you have over done it and need time to heal and recover before either trying again but more gently or switching to less demanding activity, like walking or hula hooping or swimming etc.

[Petunias in reply to Impatient]

Hi which do you do? Yoga or pilates?

[Dillweed1]

Hi. I've done both but find the yoga really good at the moment. It definitely helps with the stress of it all and I find I can cope better with anxiety as a result. The breathing calms me down. The stretching helps with flexibility and my chiropractor said it should help with adhesions too. Pilates can be harder on the stomach muscles I find and I'm trying to be gentle in that area.

[Petunias in reply to Dillweed1]

Hi thanks for this - really useful as this is what I was thinking ( that pilates is more intense on the core muscles than endo) have you stoped doing pilates completely or have you adapted it to suit you?

[Dillweed1 in reply to Petunias]

Have stopped the Pilates for now. I have a chocolate cyst so trying to be a bit gentler until it has been removed.

[Petunias in reply to Dillweed1]

Thank you & I hope you get your cyst removed soon

[Brownlow]

Pilates just didn't feel right for me. I have started a bit of yoga and found it more compatible with endo. I like Tai Chi and walking best of all.

[Petunias in reply to Brownlow]

Thanks for this - I think I'm going to definately start up yoga again. We're going to start ttc so I'm hoping to be able to carry on through pregnancy if we manage. I've nit considered Tai Chi - is this a form of exercise or is it more about breathing and realaxation? It always looks very calming when I've seen people do it

[lolley26]

Hi Petunias,

I've done both and sometimes found yoga a little too much, depending on the class. I've been doing Pilates the last year and found it helps immensely! Some of the movements they actually state can help with ibs so it also helps with endo. It focuses a lot on breathing, and core strength - zipping up your tummy muscles. While tensing them too much can cause some cramping, it's all about control of movement and breathing, I find it tough but incredibly rewarding. It always leaves me feeling very relaxed afterwards and I usually cramp less the next few days.

Obviously things work well for different people, but I'd definitely give Pilates a go, it might be difficult at first, but it doesn't try to stretch too much which is what causes problems for me, I think because of adhesions, it just works on creating a stable core and that area feeling strong can help when you do get bad days in my opinion. x

[Petunias in reply to lolley26]

Hiya thanks for replying none of my friends have tried it so its really good to hear from someone who has - your positive comments have made me reconsider both - thank you.

[sbactive]

Hi Pentunias

I am a pilates instructor and have done both pilates (obviously) and yoga. The key in doing either is finding the right class. If you go to a pilates class in the gym, or yoga for that matter you can end up in a class full of people which does not give the instructor time to get round everyone and check positions etc. You can end up doing something your body doesnt like or end up in a slightly wrong position for the pose/exercise and doing damage.

We insist that everyone who comes into our classes has a one to one session first for an hour which enables us to find out specific issues and also do a postural anaylsis. This enable us to modify exercises to each client and ensure they are exercising safely. For that reason we also only have eight people max in a class.

A beginners class should be gentle and more about learning the principles of pilates and feeling your body performing using those, eg breathing, pelvic floor engagement, scapula stability, head placement. These also enable the client to start to improve posture on a day to day basis. One of my guys says he has to adjust the rearview mirror every week after pilates as he is sitting straighter!

Take time and find a class that suits you, is small and with an instructor you can talk to about your issues, whether it be yoga or pilates.

This is the most important thing. good luck and enjoy!

Steph

[Petunias]

Thanks for your reply - very sensible advice. I've seen more 'private'style classes but always been cautiuos of spending money but at the same time I'm cautious of not achieving the poses correctly so I think this time around I'm def going to look more at a quality instructor. The last time I did yoga I didnt have any probs with endo & so although i've always been concerned about my back I wasn't as anxious as I am now about getting the positions correct. Many thanks.

[InsideOut in reply to Petunias]

Hi there, have a look at endoyoga.com. There is some useful information and suitable poses there.