Things came to a head when I was determined to learn a very vigorous and physically challenging form of yoga known as Ashtanga as taught by the late Patabbhi Jois. I had to quit after my second or third weekly class due to low back pain in one of the basic postures in the sequence, the upwand dog.  My body was telling me – NOT to do this posture.  I had to practice at least a half hour of gentle stretches after each class, in order to minimize the strain I felt from practicing Ashtanga.

When I started being able to count on having mild low back pain and discomfort every night at a prescribed time, I realized something had to be change.  I could no longer ignore the fact that my back was injured.

I decided to use everything I had learned in yoga, pilates and internet research and I went on a mission to heal my own back pain.

After 6 months on my mission I was pain free and have remained that way for well over 10 years.

In today’s video I will share some basic and very simple, easy stretches you can begin to do right now as therapy for soreness and strain of your low back.

I will outline 4  stages towards full healing.  Keep in mind that you should not begin this regimen while you are suffering from acute low back pain.  Wait until the pain subsides and you are give the go ahead from your doctor or physical therapist.  However if your symptoms are mild like mine were, you may choose to try my regimen to avoid having to see a doctor.  In my case I avoided seeking medical attention by committing to a simple program of daily stretching and core strengthening exercises.

Here are the 3 stages:

• Stage 1 – Gentle stretches, fully supported by the earth beneath you.
• Stage 2 – Gentle stretches and core strengthening exercises, supported by the earth.
• Stage 3 – Core strengthening back bends,  supported by the earth and bridge posture
• Stage 4 – More vigorous core strengthening and deeper back bends no longer dependent on the floor for support.

I recommend spending from 15 – 30 min / day on these yoga exercises to heal your back and become free of pain.

Here is the Stage 1 Video – Begin only if you are pain free and have your doctor’s permission to engage in some gentle yoga stretches.

And if  you’re serious about making changes . . . . .
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One of the first steps towards healing from chronic illness, is to take responsibility for your own situation and health.  In many cases, we are causing our own symptoms, due to our lifestyle choices. Once we realize that we may be contributing greatly to our own health issues, we begin to feel empowered.  If we “caused” the problem, then we have the power to “solve” the problem.

Understandably this is not simple or easy and clearly health problems are never the result of one single cause, but rather there may be many contributing factors.  You may have a genetic predisposition for a particular disease, but by making lifestyle changes you can possibly minimize the damage or suffering.  In other cases, we may have been exposed to toxins in the environment or from food or drugs, that are having a detrimental effect on our health.  Regardless of the outside causes, I still believe that most of our healing comes from within and starts with our attitude and belief system.

So where does yoga come into the picture, and how can yoga help us heal from chronic illness or injury?

Using myself as an example, I’ve been able to heal from both Irritable Bowel Syndrome and chronic low back pain. I credit much if not all of the healing, to my consistent, daily yoga practice.

Here is a summary of what I learned.  Perhaps you can use this as a guide to begin your own path towards a higher quality of life.

1. Using the breath to quiet the mind is the highest form of meditation. Through daily meditation (even just 10 minutes / day) you  can open the door to the dormant creative potential that lives inside you.  The answer you seek may arise spontaneously during or after your daily breathing / meditation session.  For directions on how to do this:
   Learn To Breathe
2. Whenever you are feeling stressed, come back to this breathing technique.  Practice breath awareness and breathing from your belly, as much as possible through out your busy day.  Regardless of what you are doing, stay aware of the quality of your breathing.  Always aim for deep breaths from your belly.  The compound effect of this, is an over all improvement in your health and your out look
3. Have faith and practice positive thinking.  Although this my sound like a cliche, change is not possible without faith.  The use of a mantra can be very helpful here.  To learn how to use a mantra for personal growth and healing:  MANTRA
4. If you have any hunches or realizations that specific habits may be contributing to your health problem or illness, start moving towards changing those habits.  The mantra can be used to change a habit.  Another tool that will support you in this can be found here.  How to Change A Habit
5. Trust Your Intuition – Yoga helps us access the Higher Intelligence that lives inside us. Don’t dismiss this voice of reason and brilliance.  If you have an insight during meditation – Write it down!  Continue to meditate on that idea and see what arises. This could be the smartest thing you’ve ever done!
6. Heal your body with yoga postures.  Daily practice is the key to healing with yoga.
   Start here with this simple practice that anyone can learn and do.  PRACTICE
   
   Daily yoga practice brings the body/mind/spirit into balance.  This balance = health = happiness.
   

Please feel free to share any comments or questions here on the blog.  Reaching out and sharing is one of the most healing practices known to man/womankind.  I look forward to hearing about your journey!

And if  you’re serious about making changes . . . . .
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What is the allure of this simple posture? Although it may look simple, fish posture is really quite involved.

On the physical plane, we have a deep stretch to the neck and throat, as the head is thrown back. This throwing back of the head creates flexibility in the cervical vertebrae of the neck and the thoracic spine of the upper back.

Fish posture is a gentle back bend, especially for the upper back and shoulder blade area. This creates great expansion at the chest and pectoral muscles.

Essentially a heart opener, both the heart and throat chakras are stimulated with fish posture.

I like to practice fish posture any time I need an energy boost for example if I’ve been sitting and typing for a long period of time.

I highly recommend practicing fish posture anytime you feel stressed, as it will easily open up the breathing at the throat, chest, rib cage and shoulder blades.

There is an interesting myth behind this posture. In India, Shiva was considered the original yogi as he had the key to the Universe and uncovered the mystery of yoga. Elated by his discovery, Shiva was sharing this news with his female consort Parvati and unbeknownst to them, Lord Vishnu in the form of a fish was eavesdropping on the conversation. Hence, Lord Vishnu became Shiva’s first yoga student.

As you practice fish posture try to embody the sense of being the one who absorbs knowledge, in the form of the secrets of yoga. Imagine you are receiving these deep secrets from the great Lord Shiva, the original yogi.

Above all, have fun, enjoy and stay connected to your heart!