Everyone knows that breathing and balance are important aspects of fitness. But here’s a new idea for you to think about. Breathing and balance are MORE important for amputees. It does not matter whether someone has lost one or more limbs – balance takes a while to regain. Amputee fitness as a goal is very important during rehabilitation.
After the initial phase of regaining his or her health, there is the rest of the amputee’s life that is valuable to amputee fitness. Some rehab programs just focus on being able to use a replacement limb. But even under these conditions the body is a “system.” The goal of fitness for any person is to regain and maintain whole-life fitness. Amputee fitness is a life-long goal, not just a rehabilitation goal.
So, back to the title of this piece: the importance of yoga. The express purpose of yoga is to develop control over the breath and use that while developing balance. Since amputee fitness and health also depend on control of the body and balance in movement in every way, our premise that yoga is vital for amputees whose goal is fitness and health is a given.
