Yoga at KIHC: Relief for Low Back Pain
Did you know that about 80% of people experience back pain at some point in their lives? If you have ever been there (or are there now), you’re definitely not alone.
But solely focusing on the back pain may not be the only or even best approach to relief. Low back pain is not only about your back. As everything in our bodies is interconnected, there is often another place you can put your attention without going right to that lower back pain point.
Are you sitting down while you are reading this?
As a culture we spend a lot of time sitting. And there is a relationship between tight hip flexors and low back pain, specifically with a muscle called the psoas (so-as).
Psoas is responsible for hip flexion: bringing your thigh closer to your chest or bringing your torso closer to your thighs (as in bending over). It connects your upper body to your lower body (rib cage to lower pelvis and even to the leg). Sitting a lot or habitually standing out of alignment can result in a tight or weak psoas and then, well, that can translate to lower back pain. Simple changes in how we move during the day can change things up in a good way.
When I teach yoga, I think about things like this ~ I want you to discover go-to movement practices that help you feel better if it is your back that is bothering you, or you carry your stress in your shoulders, or are devoting your energy to becoming stronger as you age.
I’ll continue with lower back pain as the example: Through movement and self-massage practices using yoga therapy balls (provided) you’ll learn about low back pain (for example), uncover how your hip flexors could be the root cause, and discover novel movement and effective strategies to enhance hip and low back flexibility and strength.
My yoga classes will begin again on Friday, September 15 at 5:30 PM, upstairs in the Gathering Space at KIHC. If you are interested in joining in, please send an email to me at pam@pamferner.com.
Coming soon, the hip hinge, a game changer if you bend over in your daily life (e.g. unloading the dishwasher, picking stuff out of the garden, unloading the car).
