How Yoga Helps Your Ballet

I recently started practicing Bikram Yoga at home again. I've done it for a total of six times in the past couple of weeks. I decided to do a half set, just to see how my body would react. I was a bit hesitant, because of my two artificial hips. I had heard stories of people dislocating after going back to Bikram Yoga too soon. That's the last thing you want after making it through this surgery. I decided to wait and let everything heal thoroughly. In my case, it has been a year and a half since my bilateral surgery. I had been doing an easy Hatha series that I had designed, and had added some Pilates exercises, as well. After running into a gorgeous 78 year old woman who swears by Bikram Yoga, I decided to give it a try once again. The results were excellent. I didn't push, and I held the poses for a short time. I was able to do all of them, except for the toe stand.

Today in ballet class I received several compliments from people, which I didn't expect. The teacher, his wife, and  the pianist all gave me positive feedback. I really think the Bikram Yoga is giving me more power and confidence. I can see that my body is becoming leaner and more defined again. I had almost given up on regaining that muscle tone that I had as a professional dancer. The Bikram series just seems to make my muscles pop. It works from deep inside of the body and

out through the skin. It's also helping my balance. When you don't use your legs as a former professional dancer, those muscles that you used to rely on atrophy and disappear. In my case, after the surgery, my thighs started to look like cottage cheese. I tried bicycling, walking, and basic yoga poses. They still looked soggy and like they had aged severely. The rest of my body looked toned, but not my thighs. 

I am seeing a change now. The Bikram series gets easier each time I do it. It's like my body remembers it, and enjoys the routine and repetition. Eventually I will work up to doing each of the poses twice, but for now, I am just doing them once. My surgeon recommended that I work gradually, once I started exercising again. It's better to do less, than to overdo and cause a setback. It's quite amazing how our bodies can heal. I feel on a solid road to recovery.