Are you the one who is constantly experiencing back pain and just sucking it up? Or better yet, are you tired at the end of the day becuase you are drained from dealing with the pain? I hearyou and have helped thousands of people get over back pain using simple yoga poses that really work.
When the body is out of alignment pain is more like a fire alarm letting you know you have a little time to get out. I offer you the same invitation to see your pain as an alarm. Your body is intelligent and you want to start to listen to it telling you to do something. Now what most people do is take advil or some other pain killer and that does not do anything other than work as a band aid.
One important note is when you feel bad physically it drains all your energy and takes the joy out of life. This is not a way to live for anyone and I am here to help you get out of pain and make some simple adjustments for you to get better. (disclaimer: you have to do the work to get the results you are seeking.)
What you want to do is go to the core of the problem and take action to align your body to be pain free. I have a client who is in her 70′s and was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. Her pain level was a 10 for years. We have been working together for the past 3 years about 2-3 times a week. Today, she is living with pretty much no pain as long as she stretches. She does not take any pain medication or have epidurals to releive her of the pain. This is all good news and you want to make sure that you are not dealing with a buldging disc or have degeneration of discs so I suggest you get a MRI to know what is going on so your not guessing.
Here are a few tips you can use to releive yourself of pain. And you may want to also use heat, topricin (a great product I use with my clients) or have a massage. What makes all the difference is finding what works for you and allowing there to be a holsitic process to have a healthy back.Try these tips/exerices and I recommend you take off your shoes and socks for better results.
If you are not good at reading and doing exercises here is a link to a chair yoga session where I share with you what to NOT to do when sitting in a chair (the picture is pretty clear!). Otherwise please use the following exercises to help you get out of pain and have more energy.
For lower backpain:
- Sitting in a chair - When you sit on a chair make sure your low back is not tucking under. Move a little forward on your seat, plant your feet on the ground making sure your second toe mound is line with the center of your ankle so your feet are parallel. Then turn your thighs in (down towards the chair) and pull your buttucks out. You will feel a curve come in your lumbar spine moving in and up.. Keeping that tuck your tail bone under just enough to keep the curve and lenghten the lower back. Repeat on the other side (make sure to lift your heart and that will help you maintain the natural curves in your back)
- Downhill skiier - Stand with your feet hip distance apart. Align your feet as we did in #1. Keeping the feet parallell, pressdown on the four corners of your feet starting at the mound of your big toe moving to the inner heel then your pinky toe mound and the back outer heel. Maintaining your feet alignment now bend your knees like you are about to sit in a chair and place your elbows on your thighs. Make sure your knees are pointing forward towards your third and fourth toe. Keeping your thighs moving back and apart tuck your tailbone to lengthen your lower back and lift your heart. Do this 3 times for 5 breaths each to release your lower back.
- Release your hip flexor – Stand on a step facing the wall and hold onto a railing or the wall. Keeping one foot on the step with your foot parallel (mentioned in #1) lift your toes and then let your other foot hang off the step. Now stretch your arm up on the side you are letting the leg hang and let gravity pull it down. Keep the other leg strong and lift your heart. Do this 3 times for 5 breaths to release your hip flexor and you will feel a great release in your low back and hip.
For more information and to get your FREE audio series to help you get out of lower & upper back pain and have more energy for living your life goto www.hillaryrubin.com.
Hillary Rubin is a Transformational Yoga Expert, Speaker, Author and Coach who worked as a pr and marketing Executive at Prada when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Instead of letting this diagnosis take over her life she used alternative and self-improvement methods that guided her to live today symptom and medication free.
She is certified in Anusara™ Yoga and the producer of her own top DVD – Yoga Foundationsand top global yoga podcast Hillary’s Yoga Practice. Hillary has been featured by Fit TV, Yoga Journal, American Fitness, Fit Yoga and Conscious Choice Magazine and is featured on the March Cover of LA Yoga Magazine and featured in the upcoming May2010 issue of Yoga Journal.
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