How A Hardcore Workout Enthusiast Came to Love The Softer Side of Movement
John Cunningham has been a private client at Yoga Baum since 2019.
John’s story begins like a surprising amount of our clients’ journeys to yoga: with relentless back pain. Back pain is not only a top reason people turn to yoga, but it’s also the second most common reason that people visit their doctor (the common cold is the most common reason).* We at Yoga Baum are extremely practiced in helping clients with back pain.
John came to yoga after having tried many other modalities for his back pain. His go-to forms of exercise weren’t helping and in some cases were actually making his pain worse. His friend, who also happens to be a yoga teacher, referred John to Yoga Baum to try out private sessions with Laurie.
Having an extensive history with athletics and exercise, John is used to physical activities being easy. He regularly cycled and did interval training, so he is fit. But regardless of his fitness level, he found that his first yoga session pointed out some major deficiencies in his movement patterns, body awareness, and mobility. Because it didn’t come naturally to him, John did not like yoga at first.
“At first it was the longest 60 minutes of my week,” John said. “I was watching the clock waiting for it to be over.”
But Laurie followed up with him and encouraged him to be patient, so John became a regular and quickly saw the benefits of a regular yoga, mindfulness, and stretching routine. John experienced a major shift in his back pain after only a couple weeks. “I don’t have any pain. Even if I have tightness, I know what to do because of our sessions, but even that is rare,” John said. He even expressed that he wished he had found yoga sooner.
“I don’t have any pain. Even if I have tightness, I know what to do because of our sessions, but even that is rare.”
John even kept up with his private sessions during the pandemic, shifting to virtual sessions on Zoom. And to help with the added stress that the pandemic brought, John requested to explore some of the more contemplative and nervous system regulating aspects of yoga through restorative yoga, meditation, and breathwork.
“I look forward to my Friday afternoon session, and it’s the perfect transition to the weekend for me,” John told us. “I take the breathing practices with me throughout me day for stress management. I do my breathing exercises all the time. In the car, at home, at work. This practice even helps me fall asleep and wake up feeling more rested."
John is a model student who practices yoga diligently. As long as clients are patient and consistent, the results will come, and John is a perfect example of how clients see and maintain results through regular practice.
Are you working through pain or injury? Reach out to the team at Yoga Baum and inquire about setting up your first private session! We offer virtual and in-person private yoga lessons in Louisville, KY. You can email us here :)
Learn more about our private sessions here.
*SOURCE: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1496956/