A while back, I was seeing an acupuncturist to deal with pain in my extremities. At the time, I assumed that the pain was arthritic but have since determined (with the help of my physician) that it’s a circulatory issue. I’m still using some of the therapies that the acupuncturist taught me, but what I’ve also found to be helpful is incorporating yoga into my daily routine…particularly the poses that require deep stretching.
I’ve been using a DVD called Yoga for Absolute Beginners by Marlon Braccia, and she has a routine for increasing flexibility. That one seems to be working the best since it generates more heat in the muscles than some of the other routines on the disk. The production quality is not very good, but the instructor has a soothing voice, and she does a great job of explaining correct posture and breathing techniques (which get passed over in a lot of beginner yoga DVDs…but they are hugely important). I also really like the pacing of the routine because it gives me time to really work the poses.
