Yoga for Backaches

As you read this, I should be on my Mediterranean cruise, relaxing and having a great time with my husband.

A few weeks before leaving, I went to get my hair done so that I could at least look halfway decent during my holiday. While my hairdresser was cutting my hair, I noticed that she winced and grimaced a few times. When I asked her what was wrong, she said that her lower back was aching from standing all day.

I guess I’ve never given much thought to how tiring it could be for people to have to stand all day while working. How self-centred can I be?! While I have the luxury of sitting in a comfortable chair with a cup of coffee and some magazines – not to mention a relaxing head massage before getting my hair cut – my poor hairdresser is on her feet for most of the day.

When I asked her if she does anything to manage her back pain, I was pleasantly surprised to hear her say “yoga.” Of course, that led to an animated discussion about the many benefits of a regular yoga practice while she gave me an awesome haircut. It took ten years off my face – now if she could only do the same for my body….

My hairdresser was really well informed about specific yoga poses that target the back – the Bridge pose, Cat pose, Extended Side Angle pose, Downward Facing Dog pose, Extended Triangle pose, etc. She told me that all these poses help ease back pain and also strengthen the back.

Unfortunately, she’d been so busy that she hadn’t been to her Yoga class for about two months and she was now paying dearly for it. “So since I finish work at 5 pm today, I’m heading over to the yoga studio to begin my classes again. The next time you see me, there’ll be no more wincing!”

Isn’t it great to know that yoga can be beneficial in so many different ways? I think I’m going to take a bit of time to find out more about the various poses that can help treat specific ailments.

Are there any specific yoga poses that you use to target specific problems? I’d be interested in hearing more about them.

[tags]back pain, backaches, bridge pose, cat pose, extended side angle pose, downward facing dog pose, extended triangle pose, benefit of yoga[/tags]