In the darkest time of the year, we celebrate the light. It is the promise of light that unites us and keeps us going, whatever our faith or beliefs. I hope there will be light for you this Christmas, in some shape or form. The way I can help, as a yoga therapist specialised in back care, is to bring some lightness in body and mind. It’s easy to forget about self-care when there is a lot going on. This blog recommends ways to keep your back safe. It can help you prevent a relapse during the holiday season, or simply help you look after your back well. The good back-care habits described below demonstrate safer ways of moving while doing daily tasks. My guess is that you know them already. However, the difficulty is to actually change the familiar ways of doing things and embrace the special care your back deserves.

Spondylolisthesis is a difficult diagnosis to receive. Basically a fracture in one of the spinal vertebrae, it can be accompanied by serious pain. The condition involves adapting your movements and positions to prevent any deterioration, and you may feel unsure which movements are still beneficial. In my work as a yoga therapist, I have been surprised how many people contact me about this condition. Very often, these are sporty people, even yoga teachers. Many are desperate to still do some form of exercise or yoga. While a general yoga class could make this back condition worse, yoga therapy would offer the right positions and movements to release and strengthen. Together with breathing and relaxation, yoga therapy offers a holistic approach to healing. Choosing yoga therapy for spondylolisthesis means that you can still profit from all the physical, emotional and mental benefits of yoga. Everyone is different, and while it is best to get a yoga therapy programme for your particular back symptoms and overall health, this blog gives you some general indications.

If your lower back occasionally feels achy, tight or heavy, this blog is for you. Your back pain does not have to be serious for it to be really draining. It can be so tiresome when tight lower back muscles prevent you from enjoying your usual exercise, and from sitting, standing or walking with ease. The tightness may also be there when you get up in the morning. This blog discusses three yoga movements that can ease lower back tightness when practised regularly. It also looks at possible causes for lower back tightness, because this symptoms always points at an underlying condition or imbalance.
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Stretching has become a little controversial. Sports scientists have proven that stretching is counterproductive before exercise, for example. On top of that, specialists argue that long-term stretching can lead to injuries and muscle weakness. And yet, people generally associate yoga with becoming more flexible. Many yoga classes still emphasise static stretching and the implicit goal seems to be touching your toes or doing a lotus position. Unfortunately, long and strong stretching disturbs the body’s harmony between strength and flexibility. Stretching can certainly feel good, but passive or static stretching will actually weaken muscles. In this blog about stretching vs. releasing muscle tightness, I explain how short-duration stretching can still be safe, and argue that the emphasis should be on releasing muscle tightness rather than stretching.

Hamstring tightness can have different causes. You may be exercising frequently or sitting most of the time, without ever releasing your muscles. Alternatively, there can be a muscle imbalance, an incorrect positioning of the feet or a knee issue that keeps the hamstrings chronically contracted. Not surprisingly, hamstrings can also be tight as a result of back pain. In the last four examples, the hamstrings are tight to protect your body. While releasing your hamstrings, it’s important to find and correct the cause of your tight hamstrings as well. In this blog, I describe three ways of stretching these muscles in a safe way for your back, and bending forward to reach your toes isn’t one of them…

Several of my lower back pain students suffer from sacroiliac joint pain, and I’ve experienced it more than once myself. Like all back pain, it takes a lot of energy to deal with. The nagging, throbbing or sometimes stabbing pain in the lowest part of the back can be caused by the misalignment and/or inflammation of the sacroiliac joints. Even when slightly out of alignment, the sacroiliac joints can give you a dragging-down, heavy feeling in the lower back. My last blog demonstrated yoga therapy practices that can help relieve this pain. This blog discusses what can exacerbate sacroiliac joint pain in terms of movements and postural habits. Read on if you’re prone to this kind of lower back pain. It will tell you what to avoid and how to adapt.

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Back pain can be draining and upsetting, especially if it’s always there and you have to be careful with every move. It’s not different with this particular lower back pain. Caused either by the misalignment or wear and tear of the sacroiliac joints, it usually presents as dull pain or a heavy feeling in one or both sides of the lowest, bony part of the back. Occasionally, the pain can be intense and acute, with possible referred pain to the groin, hip or even the back thigh. In this blog about yoga therapy for sacroiliac joint pain, I demonstrate a few yoga practices that can ease the pain and tightness. My next blog will focus on how certain stretches, movements and daily habits can make sacroiliac joint pain worse.

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Healing lower back pain requires a broad approach. It would ideally include daily practices to relax and strengthen muscles, attention to posture and stress reduction. What conventional approaches often overlook is the power of the breath and the importance of a relaxed diaphragm. Using the breath to heal lower back pain may sound surprising. In yoga therapy, however, relaxed breathing is central to healing lower back pain, as it is to healing other health concerns. In this blog, I explain the connection between the diaphragm and the back. The importance of a freely moving diaphragm for our wellbeing cannot be emphasised enough.

Have you ever wondered why your back starts hurting on holiday? The opposite could of course be true, as happy times have been known to relieve pain. However, if your back pain gets worse on a trip, it could be caused by carrying heavy luggage, different mattresses you’re sleeping on, long car journeys and even emotional tensions with your travel companions. When it comes to car journeys, sitting still for a long time in a slouchy position can indeed cause the back muscles to tighten and hurt. Because we can’t always avoid long-distance driving, it’s good to know some tips and yoga stretches to prevent back tightness and pain. Read on if you would like to know some back care tips for long car journeys.

I republish this blog every summer, to remind you how effective these simple yoga practices are during hot weather. Hot summer days can make us feel heavy and tired. We end up sweaty, red in the face, exhausted and with leaden legs. This is the result of the body working hard to keep its temperature and internal conditions in equilibrium. Our body is trying to keep the optimum inner temperature by raising the heart rate, dilating blood vessels and sweating. The dilated blood vessels bring more blood nearer the skin so it can cool down as the sweat evaporates. Help your body by avoiding extreme heat and drinking plenty of water. You can also try these two ‘hot days, cool yoga’ tricks: a breathing technique that can help you feel refreshed, and a yoga position that is a miracle cure for heavy legs.

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