yoga and pilates for drumming

[Phil Maturano]

Hi all,
I am sure you have had this topic here before but, I just started taking yoga classes and pilates at my gym. I thought I should write because for the last 2 years, I have been having lots of pain in my wrists from typing, not drumming. It comes and goes, the more i play the less pain i have. But the whole yoga thing i must say has really been helping. The pain eases substantially after a yoga session. It must be all the stretching, breathing etc. If anyone is having these problems I thought this might help.

All the best
Phil M.

[Jim R.]

Phil,

Thanks for the post. I've seen other posts about drummers with pain of different sorts, and while its always good to go to a doctor, many times, especially guys, we try to self diagnose ourselves, especially, if the pain isn't that bad.
Anyway, I can relate, my wife and I do yoga or pilates together at times, and it is very beneficial to my body and drummer. The streching alone does wonders.
I also have wrist and forearm pain from typing which is why my posts usually are not very long.  ;)
I also find that if I have not done any yoga or streching that the pain from typing is greater. So if I keep the practicing regular and also a workout, everything feels great. Its just that life, work and family make my schedule of workouts and practicing unregular.
While we may use it to keep our arms loose and pain free, I think that yoga and other workouts are a great preventative medicine for other drummers .

[Phil Maturano]

HI Bro! Well thank you for confirming my suspicions. It is a great relief to find that this has helped other people because this issue is very important to me. I thought i might have just been imagining it.

So there we are . Yoga and Pilates, great for drumming! Its a wonderful thing if anyone hasn't done it! I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Big hugs to all
PM

[Tony]

I just started pilates a month or so ago and have been doing yoga for a few years. I definitely notice a difference in my body pain issues. I have disc problems in my back and neck and arthritis in my knees and shoulders and staying in shape with these exercises along with some pool tim really makes a difference. Pilates is really a great workout and something I wished I had known about 20 years ago!

[Chris Whitten]

So there we are . Yoga and Pilates, great for drumming! Its a wonderful thing if anyone hasn't done it! I highly recommend giving it a shot.

Both offer a complete body workout. Giving you general fitness, strength, balance, relaxation and stretching, all very important to good drumming.
Not that I have ever done Yoga or Pilates...... but I SHOULD.
:-[

[GiggingDrummer]

Pilates is an amazing workout. Max Wineburg is a more famous drummer who has talked about pilates in some interviews. It's kind of expensive to do 1 o 1 sessions with an instructor but well worth it. You can do a group mat class at most gyms on the cheap. My wife is an instructor and we have worked out a plan that focuses on drummer problems; back, calves, and shoulders.