Australian Yoga Journal – August 2019

your practice

ANATOMY

70

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

BACK PAIN IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MEDICAL PROBLEMS, affecting 8 out of 10

people, according to the National Institutes of Health. The good news? Yoga-based

therapeutics are affordable and accessible ways to alleviate and prevent back pain—

acute or chronic—by improving the quality of your movements and by helping the left,

right, front, and back sides of your body work together in a balanced way, on and off

the mat.

First, it’s critical to understand good posture and put it to use; poor posture often

leads to back pain. You can fi gure out if your vertebral column and pelvis are neutral—

critical to good posture—by using several benchmarks. To learn, let’s look at Tadasana

(Mountain Pose).

• THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN is most
  stable when aligned in its normal curves.
  Generally speaking, and in relation to
  the front of the body, the neck and low
  back display concave curves (lordosis),
  while the upper and middle back together
  display a convex curve (kyphosis), as
  does the sacrum.


• THE SACRUM is a curved, bumpy bone
  that angles in toward the body at about
  30 degrees, beginning at L5/S1; it does
  not point straight down.


• THE PELVIC RIM,or iliac crest, which
  marks the top of the pelvis, is fairly level.


• THE PLUMB LINE runs from the centre
  of the ear opening (external auditory
  meatus), through the shoulder, outer hip
  (greater trochanter), outer knee, and
  outer ankle (lateral malleolus).


• THE CAVITIES (“open” spaces) of
  your pelvis, belly, chest, and head feel
  balanced in relation to each other.

Once you understand proper posture,

consider two key questions during asana

practice: does a body part need space?

Does a body part need support? It could

need both. Begin by creating space: reduce

the size of a movement or pose. For

example, someone who habitually sits

with a fl attened or rounded back often

experiences pain in back extensions. That

means simply standing with normal curves

might feel like a backbend; thus, Tadasana

is the fi rst backbending pose for them.

Sometimes creating support helps: Instead

of practicing Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

(Bridge Pose) with the pelvis lifted, do it

with a folded blanket supporting the

Back Care Basics

Don’t miss these strategies for supporting spinal health and keeping pain at bay.

By Mary Richards

ILLUSTRATIONS: MICHELE GRAHAM; PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER DOUGHERTY; MODEL: OLIVIA HSU; CLOTHING: MODEL’S OWN

bottom of the shoulder blades to the

hips.

Bear in mind that seated asana are

more likely to cause back injuries than

standing, supine, or prone asana, if your

posture is poor or you’re unable to

engage the muscles of your legs and

buttocks. Avoid them entirely if you

have low back pain or disc injuries,

and instead do other poses that achieve

similar ends. For example, to stretch

the hamstrings, practice Supta

Padangusthasana (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) instead of

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward

Bend). If you have a disc injury or

sacroiliac joint dysfunction, avoid

forward folds and twists, especially

seated twists. It’s much safer to adapt

twists to standing. Marichyasana

(Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi)

can be practiced with a chair at the

wall, for instance. If you practice

seated twists, you must allow your

pelvis to move in order to maintain

the form and force closure of the

sacroiliac joints and to spread

compression more evenly through the

intervertebral discs. Bharadvajasana

can be a safe seated twist, as long as

the pelvis is not anchored to the fl oor.

Gentle, small-range back extensions

may help reduce disc-related pain and

dysfunction. Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

can be useful for developing strength in

the back body and reducing load in the

low back. It can be practiced with

asymmetry to reduce strain and

gradually build strength.

yj77_70-73 anatomy_310.indd 70 19/7/19 1:30 pm

your practice

ANATOMY

70

august/september 2019

yogajournal.com.au

BACK PAIN IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MEDICAL PROBLEMS, affecting 8 out of 10

people, according to the National Institutes of Health. The good news? Yoga-based

therapeutics are affordable and accessible ways to alleviate and prevent back pain—

acute or chronic—by improving the quality of your movements and by helping the left,

right, front, and back sides of your body work together in a balanced way, on and off

the mat.

First, it’s critical to understand good posture and put it to use; poor posture often

leads to back pain. You can fi gure out if your vertebral column and pelvis are neutral—

critical to good posture—by using several benchmarks. To learn, let’s look at Tadasana

(Mountain Pose).

• THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN is most
  stable when aligned in its normal curves.
  Generally speaking, and in relation to
  the front of the body, the neck and low
  back display concave curves (lordosis),
  while the upper and middle back together
  display a convex curve (kyphosis), as
  does the sacrum.


• THE SACRUM is a curved, bumpy bone
  that angles in toward the body at about
  30 degrees, beginning at L5/S1; it does
  not point straight down.


• THE PELVIC RIM,or iliac crest, which
  marks the top of the pelvis, is fairly level.


• THE PLUMB LINE runs from the centre
  of the ear opening (external auditory
  meatus), through the shoulder, outer hip
  (greater trochanter), outer knee, and
  outer ankle (lateral malleolus).


• THE CAVITIES (“open” spaces) of
  your pelvis, belly, chest, and head feel
  balanced in relation to each other.

Once you understand proper posture,

consider two key questions during asana

practice: does a body part need space?

Does a body part need support? It could

need both. Begin by creating space: reduce

the size of a movement or pose. For

example, someone who habitually sits

with a fl attened or rounded back often

experiences pain in back extensions. That

means simply standing with normal curves

might feel like a backbend; thus, Tadasana

is the fi rst backbending pose for them.

Sometimes creating support helps: Instead

of practicing Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

(Bridge Pose) with the pelvis lifted, do it

with a folded blanket supporting the

Back Care Basics

Don’t miss these strategies for supporting spinal health and keeping pain at bay.

By Mary Richards

ILLUSTRATIONS: MICHELE GRAHAM; PHOTOS: CHRISTOPHER DOUGHERTY; MODEL: OLIVIA HSU; CLOTHING: MODEL’S OWN

bottom of the shoulder blades to the

hips.

Bear in mind that seated asana are

more likely to cause back injuries than

standing, supine, or prone asana, if your

posture is poor or you’re unable to

engage the muscles of your legs and

buttocks. Avoid them entirely if you

have low back pain or disc injuries,

and instead do other poses that achieve

similar ends. For example, to stretch

the hamstrings, practice Supta

Padangusthasana (Reclining

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose) instead of

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward

Bend). If you have a disc injury or

sacroiliac joint dysfunction, avoid

forward folds and twists, especially

seated twists. It’s much safer to adapt

twists to standing. Marichyasana

(Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi)

can be practiced with a chair at the

wall, for instance. If you practice

seated twists, you must allow your

pelvis to move in order to maintain

the form and force closure of the

sacroiliac joints and to spread

compression more evenly through the

intervertebral discs. Bharadvajasana

can be a safe seated twist, as long as

the pelvis is not anchored to the fl oor.

Gentle, small-range back extensions

may help reduce disc-related pain and

dysfunction. Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

can be useful for developing strength in

the back body and reducing load in the

low back. It can be practiced with

asymmetry to reduce strain and

gradually build strength.