Schoen Julie - Happy Back Yoga: Your Complete Yoga Guide For A Pain Free Back

Copyright 2012 Julie Schoen and Little Pearl Publishing.

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Happy Back Yoga Your Complete Yoga Guide
For A Pain Free Back

By Julie Schoen

Contents

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INTRODUCTION

I never thought about the health of my spine until the day that I lost it. Hit by a car and crumpled on the asphalt, my back would never be the same. It took years before I was able to sit comfortably a relief after spending months forced to lie flat on my back wherever I went. Not only did my injuries affect my life physically, but also they dramatically impacted my emotional health.

In constant pain, I slipped into depression. I lost friends. I was miserable but emotionally I couldnt even find the strength to care.

I went to chiropractors to ease my pain, but the effects wore off almost immediately. They were treating the symptoms instead of getting to the root of the problem: the health of my spine.

Thankfully it wasnt long after my accident when I stumbled into my first yoga class. Unable to do the majority of the poses, I worked where I could. Amazingly, even without participating in the majority of the class, I began to feel better. The pain in my back was starting to melt away. I felt a lightness that I hadnt felt since the accident and I was finally remembering what it felt like to smile.

Curious to why these simple yoga moves were helping my back so much, I began to study yoga, learning from masters around the world and eventually getting multiple accreditations to teach. What I found was that the entire practice of yoga revolves around maintaining the health of the spine. In each pose, the spine is a crucial element, providing the literal backbone for every movement and position.

Now as an instructor myself, I emphasize the importance of the spine to all of my students, even those who have never injured their back or experienced any discomfort in the area. I know from firsthand experience how crucial the health of the spine is to the overall health of the body and mind.

So whether you have suffered through a back injury like me or are the picture of health, everyone can benefit from having a happy back one that is strong, flexible, long, and supple.

Lets get moving your happy back is just a yoga session away!

Love,
Julie

SECRETS OF THE SPINE

The spine is a complex structure that serves as the central axis of our bodies. A healthy spine is made up of four natural curves, each one serving a function to help the body withstand gravity and to evenly distribute the weight of the body to the extremities that stem from it. In addition to the curves, the spine relies on spongy discs in between each vertebra that help to absorb shock and pressure caused by day-to-day activities like walking, running, injuries, and even just withstanding gravity.

Not only is the spine anatomically important to the muscular-skeletal system, but it also serves as a vital life-sustaining tool. By functioning as a barrier, your spine protects the delicate spinal cord, which serves as the primary form of communication between the body and brain. If the space in the spine becomes too narrow, which can happen through injuries or lack of movement, the spinal cord can literally be pinched, causing serious health complications and extreme pain. The healthier your spine is the better the communication becomes between the two.

Energetically, your spine is known as Susumna, the major channel in which energy moves from one extreme to the other. Like a hose filled with running water, if Susumna gets unnaturally bent, injured, or kinked, the energy wont flow, leaving you to deal with a myriad of ailments, including lethargy, depression, addiction, pain, and obesity.

The spine is the ultimate key to health. It unlocks a lifetime filled with youth, activity, and happiness.

In order to keep the spine healthy and mobile, we have to improve its strength and flexibility, all while lengthening. To do this, we must move the spine out of its comfort zone and into positions that may seem unnatural when compared to the positions we stay in throughout most of the day (slouched in a chair, crammed in a car, or hunched over a desk). And how do we best do that? Through poses masterfully created by the ancient yogi masters centuries ago to restore and maintain the health of the spine, your lifeline, your secret to longevity.

Yoga is the fountain of youth. Youre only as young as your spine is flexible. Bob Harper

HAPPY BACK FLOW A

Benefits:

This sequence warms up the body while working on releasing tension in the hips. As the flexibility of your hips improves, discomfort in the low back will disappear. Focus on holding the poses for several breaths, using the exhalation to release deeper into the joint of the hip.

1. Virasana (Heros Pose), variation

Kneel on the ground, tucking your toes under and balancing on the balls of the feet. Bring your hands to heart center and focus on your breath. If it is uncomfortable on your feet to keep them tucked, feel free to begin in traditional Virasana, with the tops of the feet resting on the mat.

2. Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge), variation

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