Hearing Blog

Yoga Can Help Keep You and Your Ears Fit!

Yoga is an ancient physical activity that originates from India. It uses a combination of various poses inspired by nature to help stretch the body’s various muscles to bring about fitness, harmony, balance, and inner peace. It helps improve your blood circulation, is a remarkable stress buster, and even helps you lose weight. Using yoga in collaboration with meditation has been shown to even reduce the symptoms of tinnitus and keep up your hearing health.

Hearing loss may cause a bit of interference when it comes to practicing yoga. You may wonder whether you will miss out on some of the instructions provided during the class, and may even be scared that you might fall behind compared to the others. You may also be concerned that your hearing aids may fall off during one of the more precarious poses during the class! If these concerns are what are stopping you from joining that yoga class, worry no more! A few simple precautions will help you get the most out of your yoga class.

For those with hearing loss, choosing the right yoga studio is the first step towards having a successful experience. Mention your unique hearing needs to the manager at the studio and enquire as to whether any of the other members also have hearing loss, and what sort of facilities they provide for hearing impaired individuals. Some studios have hearing loop systems, while others may have visual instructions that go along with verbal ones. Make sure you feel comfortable in the surroundings and the provided facilities so that you can focus on the class.

You may opt for more private lessons that offer workshops for novices. These provide more one-to-one exposure to help learn yoga poses with only a small number of students present. Once you learn the basic poses, you will gain more confidence to join a larger group class. Alternatively, you can even learn the basic yoga poses from the comfort of your own home simply by watching yoga videos online.

When you begin your yoga lessons, make sure you talk to your instructor about your unique hearing needs. Keeping your teacher in the loop about your hearing loss will help them incorporate other visual methods to help teach you yoga instead of relying only on verbal cues. Do not feel awkward about mentioning your hearing loss during class. It is perfectly normal for any student with any type of physiological limitation such as injuries or any type of illnesses to mention this to their instructor to help gain the accommodation they require.

If you are hesitant to take the first step towards learning yoga, you can gain some moral support by finding a yoga buddy! Talk to a close friend about accompanying you to your yoga classes so that you can both learn yoga together. This will make the classes more fun and less stressful. You will also feel freer asking your friend to help you out with your poses in case you need extra help.

To maximize your experience, make sure you find a spot that is at the center of the room. This will enable you to watch your instructor directly, as well as watch all the other people around you to gain a better understanding of the poses. Make sure you can see your instructor clearly so that you can rely on their visual cues during the class.

If you are worried about damaging your hearing aids due to increased amounts of sweating or having them fall out during the class, worry no more! Simply buy a sweatband to keep your hearing aids in place as well as well-protected from sweat and moisture. You can even use a bandana or headband for this purpose.

It may be easy to lose hope after a single bad experience. At first, you may find the poses challenging and may be tempted to quit, but fret not. No one is an expert at the very beginning, and as they say, practice makes perfect! If you find that the instructor is not cooperative or the students and studio is not to your liking, simply try some other studio. It is important to be persistent and hopeful, since yoga has massive physiological and psychological benefits.

Last but definitely not the least, remember to have a blast! Yoga can be an invigorating way to get the endorphins flowing and the blood pumping. This can give your ears a well-needed boost! When you are absorbed in the moment and focusing on taking deep, calming breaths as you stretch your muscles, feel the energy flowing through your body. Be in that moment, where it is only you and those wondrous poses, so enjoy yourself and let the rest of the world wait!