If you would like to strengthen your upper arms but, like me, are not into weight lifting and find push-ups too hard, this blog is for you. You may wonder what arm strengthening has to do with yoga, and with yoga for back pain. Quite a lot actually: weak arms prevent us from doing yoga poses such as dog pose and plank pose efficiently. When done with good alignment, these poses benefit the back and abdominal muscles, strengthening muscles as well as bones. Moreover, strong arms assist us in carrying things, so the back and shoulders don’t have to do overwork. Our muscle mass reduces with age so if we want our body to keep functioning well it’s important to include arm strengthening in our daily routine.

After a certain age, our muscles usually start to feel tighter. Whether this is due to age, stress or lack of mobility, it can affect our overall wellbeing and energy levels. We don’t need to accept and ignore a tight body as a sign of getting older. Yoga offers simple practices to keep muscles mobile and strong. Also keeping our back healthy doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s often sufficient to know a few practices to do at home in the morning or evening, and to remember some postural habits throughout the day. These daily practices will allow you to avoid creakiness and pain in the long run. My tips to keep your back healthy aim to mobilise the spine, strengthen the core, correct posture and de-stress .

You may be paying attention to your posture and doing your back exercises conscientiously, but still undo all the good work with some seemingly harmless movements. It can be so discouraging, and the culprit is usually a simple movement that you’ve always done effortlessly and without thinking, such as tying shoelaces or reaching into a high cupboard. Look after your back even better and try to avoid these five movements that could hurt your back. Some of the tips are also important to prevent back pain, as they are about making daily tasks more efficient and safe for your back.

If you’ve ever had a herniated or slipped disc, you know how excruciating this kind of lower back pain can be. With shooting pain down your leg, this crippling pain can put you out of action for at least a few weeks. In the best possible scenario, a slipped disc is diagnosed early and you learn which movements exacerbate the condition and which can heal the spine. On the other hand, if you don’t change your movement habits, you may suffer long-term pain and eventually further deterioration of the spine. Physiotherapists, osteopaths or chiropractors offer different treatments, with varying results. This blog discusses the intervention by yoga therapy. Yoga therapy for herniated discs can teach you which movements to avoid and which practices are suitable for each stage of the recovery. It also includes relaxation and breathing techniques, which are important to help you deal with the stress that this condition causes.

Chances are you are very busy at this time of the year, and it may be hard to find some moments for self care. If you can, give yourself a bit of time in the morning. Often, this is the only window of opportunity before the activities of the day take over. Especially if you have back pain, what you do every day counts. A short practice to keep your back mobile will do wonders for your day and indeed for this whole festive season.

The morning practice doesn’t have to be long or complicated. The one below is just enough to move your back, stretch your limbs, deepen your breath and encourage the blood circulation. Give your whole attention to the sensations in the body and to the breath, so that your mind can relax too. You may find that this short period of concentration in the morning sets you up to feel more centred during the day. And don’t we need that inner balance during the Christmas period!.

If you have a desk-related job you know how tight your body can feel after a few hours of sitting. Also driving for a couple hours makes us feel like we are made from cardboard. Loosening up gently is important after both situations to prevent back and hip pain. Plenty of simple yoga practices can counter tightness. They will also improve blood circulation and oxygen intake, which increases energy and alertness. This blog focuses on one yoga practice that helps with releasing hip flexors. This set of muscles can get particularly tight after being held in a contracted position for hours.

If you are currently going through the perimenopause or menopause and you have back pain, this blog is for you. I’ll explain briefly how changing hormone levels can affect your joints and muscles, and suggest yoga therapy practices to keep you supple and strong. Far from just being a sign of old age, spine and peripheral joint pain can be the result of fluctuating hormone levels. Moreover, slower production of estrogen can lead to bone loss and the risk of osteoporosis later in life. If you are perimenopausal or menopausal, read here what you can do to support your spine and back health. Of course, it wouldn’t be yoga therapy without attention to the mind as well. The last paragraphs explain how the breath can help you navigate mood swings and feel more peaceful.

We usually don’t think about our back until it hurts. And yet, a painful and stiff back can drain our energy, compromise daily functioning and make us feel old. Why is it that we have all sorts of potions to prevent skin ageing and fitness regimes to stay muscular, but we forget about a crucial part of our body that allows us to fully enjoy life? Arthritis of the spine is a form of wear and tear that we can to some extent prevent. A stiff lower back is often the result of inactivity or excessive activity. Both conditions makes us feel older than we need to be. Whether you have back pain or not, it’s never too soon or too late to look after your back. This blog discusses five guidelines for a healthy back, and the simple things you can do to keep your back in good condition. Incorporate these into your daily routine, and you’ll give yourself the best chance to feel younger and stay active.

Looking back at the 2018 overview of low back pain studies in The Lancet, I wonder if much has changed in these past years. This leading medical journal announced that low back pain has increased worldwide. It stated that the medical approaches used in high-income countries, such as surgery, medication, injections and imaging, are not effective. The studies suggest further that exercise, education, and psychological therapies are most appropriate for the majority of low back pain cases. The pandemic hasn’t improved the prevalence of back pain. Instead, working from home may have increased back stiffness and pain. Back care treatments were interrupted and now often still have long waiting lists. Surprisingly, 24.4% of Covid survivors report back pain as a new associated pain (International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Sept. 22). Now more than ever, The Lancet’s simple guidelines can help us forward. This blog examines the treatment guidelines for low back pain, and explains how yoga therapy can help. With its emphasis on simple practices, breath optimisation and relaxation, it offers what the research prescribes.  

September is the ideal time for longer walks in nature. The temperatures are mild and the air is fresh and laden with the heavier scent of turning leaves. But unless you are young and fit, a hike may leave you feeling tight in your back and legs. Instead of waiting to your next yoga class, why not pause in the middle of your walk to look after your hard-working muscles? Taking a break to release tightness gently will allow you to continue the journey with more ease. You don’t need a yoga mat to stretch but can release tight muscles in a standing position. Indeed, outdoor stretching to ease tight muscles is a wonderful way to take in the scenery, breathe deeply and uplift the spirits. Here are a few easy suggestions of how to do it. I hope they can make your next walk even more enjoyable!

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