scoliosis

[lotus]

Since joining AYP several days ago I have been busy reading but have seen nothing that pertains to my particular problem.  I have scoliosis in the upper spine that torques to the right and also in the lumbar region with a left torque.  It presently causes me little discomfort.  But just six months ago I was continuously aching and full of muscular knots that 90 minute weekly massages were not helping one iota.  It took a change of massage therapists to finally detect the problem and send me to a doctor who is actually helping.  The knots are GONE for good and I feel 75% better.  I brought this problem on myself I am quite sure.  It's my karma and I have accepted the consequences.

   I realized that I was going to die Spiritually if I didn't get my life straightened out.  I knew there was nothing inherently "wrong" with sex, just that it could be abused.  I came across a book by Georg Feuerstein called "Sacred Sexuality" and after reading that began to search for sites and subjects on the 'Net.  Here I Am. Also I should add, I have embraced Buddhism and my life is radically changed for the better.

I have been meditating irregularly for about a year but would like to begin the practices outlined in the lesson plan.  Will my scoliosis make a difference in the effects or the results I should expect?  Should I modify the practices in any way?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Sorry for the long post.  My kids would probably say "TMI, Mom."
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I have deleted part of my original post as a portion of it really had no bearing on my questions and was in retrospect un-wise and indiscrete.

_/\\_

[Shanti]

Welcome Lotus. I have scoliosis too. There are a few yoga aasanas I cannot do too well.. but there has been no problems with my AYP practices. So go ahead and start them off. Make sure you use pillows for your back.. I used to make the mistake of sitting straight back.. its really uncomfortable.. So make yourself comfortable, it wont harm your meditation in any way.. actually it will help, because you can keep your mind on your mantra and not on your aching back. I am sure you will do well..

[david_obsidian]

Hello Lotus,

(I'm going to write from what I hear,  and it may be inapplicable or redundant for you,  but useful for others who might be in a similar situation.)

Well,  impotence does not necessarily mean the end of a sex-life.  Relevant questions are whether you husband still has a sex-drive, and if he has,  is it buried under a mistaken sense that impotence is always 'the end'.  On the face of it,  your husband no longer has erections.  But that doesn't mean the end of a sex-life.  Lesbian couples often have great sex lives,  without an erection between them.  And so do many heterosexual couples who have acquired impotence or actual loss of the penis due to injury or amputation.

[weaver]

Hi Lotus and welcome to the group! I don't think that scoliosis should make any difference in the effects or the results you should expect from doing AYP, since there is mainly sitting practices involved, and one can make it very comfortable, and there are no requirements to do asanas or specific physical postures. If I would give any advice when starting with AYP, I guess it would be to take plenty of time to let a given practice sink in well before adding on a new one, maybe several months or more, so that we are sure that we are able to keep up with what we are doing. The lessons in AYP are outlined in a very condensed format time-wise, and are intended to be implemented over the very long term, like several years or decades. And also, I don't know what type of meditation you have been doing before, but when doing AYP it's recommended not to mix in other types of similar practices to avoid compounding effects.

[Jim and His Karma]

Bobbie Fultz  is a yoga teacher expert in using asana to help scoliosis (she's a sufferer). She teaches in PA, but does clinics elsewhere, and can help point to other teachers elsewhere. bobbie99@epix.net

[Shanti]

Hello again Lotus. There were a couple of things in your post I would  like to talk to you about.. but I don't think I can do it in an open forum.. I don't have the courage you have.. so if it something you don't mind doing.. could you email me. Please do not email me, if you don't want your email-id revealed. Thanks.
-Shanti.

[david_obsidian]

Shanti said:
Please do not email me, if you don't want your email-id revealed. Thanks

Also keep in mind that,  if your email ID needs to be private, you can always make an anonymous email ID (Yahoo or otherwise) and change your AYP forum email to this new anonymous email ID.