Do you suffer from back pain? Now that it’s the New Year, even if you have a few back twinges, it might be time to take care of it by considering either starting to practice yoga – or stepping up your practice if you already have one.
A new study had found that yoga or intensive stretching classes are more effective in dealing with back pain than most anything else. During my fifteen years of teaching yoga both at a class level and to one-on-one clients, I saw so many near miracles when people came in with back pain. It’s not a quick-fix though – if you are new to yoga, you have to be patient. Years of sitting crunched over your computer won’t get sorted out in just a few classes. Your whole muscular system has to slowly unwind over the months, letting go of years of tension and gripping.
The thing I love most about yoga is that it’s a holistic exercise. Low back pain is nearly always associated with tight hips, so a good teacher will have a student who is suffering with low/mid-back pain, practice a number of simple hip-openers. Upper back pain is often associated with tight pectoral muscles, which need to be strengthened and stretched.
I prefer yoga to just a stretch class, because yoga encompasses a spiritual practice too – you three-for-one: a spiritual, mental and physical workout.
Check out out guest blogger, Natasha Rizopoulos, as she had some great DVD’s and free videos on her website to get you started. If you have serious back, knee or hip issues, I highly recommend Viniyoga – Gary Kraftsow’s books and DVd’s are excellent. Both of these teachers are clear and solid enough to help you start a comprehensive home practice, however, I recommend investing in a private class to check that your posture and alignment is what it should be.
