Are you struggling with an ankle injury?

Yoga may just be your best rehabilitation modality.

However, before taking a Greenville yoga class, it’s mandatory that you allow your body an adequate period of rest. Follow the old RICE regimen: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. However, keep in mind that too much rest can actually stunt your ankle’s healing process. After the initial pain and swelling have subsided, it’s time to get going on your recovery. To avoid losing mobility and flexibility, gradually begin creating gentle movements in the ankle and exploring ankle stretches.

Poses that are awesome for maintaining flexibility include hero pose, frog pose and child’s pose. When practicing hero or child’s pose, you might consider rolling up a towel and placing it underneath your feet to subdue the pressure placed on the ankles. Another option is to tuck the toes and sit back on your heels. This provides a pretty intense stretch, so explore this option later in your healing process.

To increase ankle mobility and re-build strength, try out chair pose. Don’t hesitate to use the wall or a chair to support you if your balance is wobbly. Also, downward facing dog is a great pose to recover your ankle’s range of motion. Really press the heels down into your mat to receive that sweet ankle opening.

Finally, once your balance is solid, you can introduce balancing postures into your recovery plan to really strengthen and stabilize the muscles supporting the joint. These poses include eagle pose, half moon pose, dancer’s pose, and extended big-toe hold.

Once you are in full recovery mode, commit to a Greenville yoga class, which will surely introduce a combination of these ankle-healing postures. If you can’t seem to squeeze in a class, explore these yoga poses (asanas) before, after, or during your typical Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym workout.