Scoliosis and yoga therapy

I previously wrote an article about the myths of scoliosis and in one of the myths, I wrote:

Myth: Scoliosis patients should not exercise
Truth: Exercise is important to maintain muscle tone. The best exercise is swimming

What about other forms of exercise for scoliosis

sufferers? I was surfing Yahoo! Answers when I stumbled upon this Q&A on scoliosis and yoga. Let me quote her question and the advice she received on scoliosis and yoga:

I’m thinking about taking yoga. I’m 14 year old (look 10 years old though), have scoliosis, so what’s yoga like? I recently saw a yoga place that very close to my house called Dahn Yoga. Just wondering what’s yoga like? Or Dahn yoga like… and I heard Hatha yoga is the most well liked but I only know 1 yoga place, which is Dahn Yoga (a Korean kind of yoga). I researched it on the internet and heard Dahn Yoga is a cult and stuff, and it’s not “real yoga”… Should I take it and will it be hard for me since I have scoliosis… Also I wanna take yoga because I have nothing to do at home (exactly why I’m on yahoo answers), so I’m hoping it’s time consuming and I would love it, and I can practice every day… and I’m weak so I wanna get stronger. Thanks!

The reply to the 14-year-old’s question:

I was diagnosed with scoliosis when I was 11 years old. My orthopedic surgeon gave me a booklet of exercises that I did every day, and within just a couple of months the curves in my spine had significantly straightened. Years later, I found out that most of the exercises in that booklet were yoga. So now I’m a yoga teacher and have been teaching yoga for 15 years. Dahn yoga is not real yoga. They are a lot like a cult, and the people I know who have taken those classes say that they’re nothing like regular yoga classes in that they have you do a lot of weird breathing exercises and strange movements that are NOT yoga. If you can’t find a yoga class to go to, buy a yoga dvd. One of my favorites for beginners is Crunch’s “The Perfect Yoga Workout.” Also, “Om Yoga” with Cyndi Lee is good for beginners. An excellent yoga book is “Light on Yoga” by B.K.S. Iyengar. Regular practice of yoga will make you strong and flexible, and you might even cure your scoliosis like I did. Yoga makes you feel good, relaxed, and happy. Good luck, and enjoy!

I recommend:

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Related links:

Tops myths about scoliosis

7 Super Benefits of Yoga

Is yoga a myth?