Doctor touts benefits of yoga therapy

Center for Primary Care Dr. Paul Fischer broke his back two months ago and used yoga to help manage the pain and get back in shape.

//

Now, Fischer wants to promote the therapeutic exercise with a new yoga program designed for men.

Hence, "Old Men With Bad Backs," a yoga class designed for male patients at CPC, starts Thursday.

"I realized I was incredibly stiff, and I got a lot stiffer because I was just lying there," Fischer said about recovering from his back injury.

So when one of his patients, yoga instructor Linda Evans, suggested he try some routines, they started a class for employees of the Evans-based health care facility.

"It was a wonderful experiment," Fischer said. "What I learned was that yoga is really just stretching.

"The goal (for Old Men With Bad Backs) is to teach people enough, so if they want to continue doing flexibility exercises, they'll be able to do it. "

He talked about some of the benefits yoga offers.

"It also helps with balance. As you get older you lose your balance, just like you lose a lot of things, but you can actually train balance," Fischer said.

Evans, who teaches the class, has been doing yoga for 20 years and is teaching the yoga practice of Hatha, a combination of stretching, strength building, balance and proper breathing.

The yoga program costs $60 for six classes.

The current program is full, but other courses will be offered.

For information, call Primary Care at (706) 650-7563.