Yoga for Back Pain

Join Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar in this essential practice for strong abs & a healthy back! The essence of Somatics is mindfulness of the body and proprioception (awareness of the body in space) - in this class Shy will lead you through simple exercises to strengthen the abs & back, while focusing on creating length in the spine and emphasizing the relaxation and release of the muscles at work, in order to deepen the mind-brain-body connection and train in letting go, as much as in strength & stability.

In this video, Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar teaches a special sequence that is fantastic for anyone, while also being appropriate for practitioners with back problems (as long as you are cleared for exercise by a medical professional). With a focus on back strengthening, and the only deep flexion exercises performed lying on the back (to keep the spine safe), this is an excellent practice for great training while healing your back!

In this class we’ll be focusing on your back, liberating your spine through twists and freeing the flow of energy through the central channel. This class improves spine flexibility, supports healthy digestion and boosts a sense of aliveness.

You’ll need a block for this class.

Help is on the way for tender backs. This is a short and effective routine to do day or night to gently increase strength in the core and mobility in the spine. Do it before bedtime and you'll wake up feeling better in the morning.

Join Katy for a 40 minute practice to release neck shoulders and chest. Learn how your daily posture can create tension in your neck and what you can do to prevent it!

This series of yoga classes will help you open and invigorate the entire body, starting slow, gradually warming up and building towards a flow. This programme is a great choice if you would like to connect with your body through a slow flow and feel every cell come alive.

Class 1: Creating Space

In this session we’ll be focusing on creating space across the side body. We’ll be opening the chest, shoulders and the sides of the spine. This practice will help breathe deeper by creating more space for your lungs and heart. It is also a great choice of practice for connective tissue health as it addresses the lateral fascia lines of the body.

You’ll be needing a blanket if you have sensitive knees and an optional block for this class.

Longer holds, deep belly breaths and staying present with the sensations as they rise and fall. This practice will get deep into your hips and open up your spine. Excellent option if you want something slower paced & time to connect to your body.

This yoga class is all about your Upper back & neck. The postures will help releases pain in the upper back, with simple yoga that is accessible for all levels. If you have upper back or neck pain do not hesitate and spend 10 minutes to improve how you feel.

This class will twist, stretch, and open your trunk. Make sure that your yoga belt is able to lock into a loop, as you will want the loop available for some prop assisted twisting. Enjoy!

If you need a good stretch and are ready to release any tension in your shoulders or hips, this class will hit the spot. This Hatha class takes several breaths in each pose, to give you time to breathe deeply, and smooth out any kinks in your hips and upper body. This is an excellent class if you sit a lot during the day and will open and strengthen the muscles that get tense from too much time at a desk.


Spotify playlist for 45-Minute Heart & Hips Hatha

Join Kristin, who has recovered from back surgery and thrived for over 20 years because of her yoga practice. Much of our back pain is due to stress, tight hamstrings, psoas, and gluteal muscles. This 30 minute daily routine focuses on diaphragmatic breath and targeted yoga postures that educate, strengthen and release the tension causing back discomfort.

This 40 minute class is all about another big dose of low back love. We'll stay low and focus on nice, long stretches for tight low back, hip, glutes, & hamstrings and there is more mindful ab work to keep the belly strong to support the back. Your back (and whole body) are gonna love you for taking time to give it some lovin'.

This yoga flow will help you to relieve back pain and especially target the lower part of your body. With many of us sitting the whole day at work, we need proper maintenance and stretching in specific parts of our back. This class is here to help you with any problems, aches, or pains you may be having in your back, and find relief.

Heal and empower your hips and back in this deep therapeutic practice at the wall! Yoga therapist Shy Sayar will teach you ways to safely and gently increase stability and flexibility in your hips in order to free the back, using a wall and an optional bolster. Over time, this practice can even help you safely build up to the lotus pose and the shoulder stand!

This informative practice will move your whole body and teach you healthy backbending principles in the process. Backbends are invigorating, uplifting, and healthy for posture, however, if done incorrectly, over time, these poses are detrimental to the lower back. With alignment principles taken from Keith’s, The Yoga Fix book, this class goes in-depth in giving you tools and techniques for deep and healthy back bending that you can bring with you into your regular practice. This class is accessible to all levels, with some challenging elements, and will leave you feeling refreshed and enlivened in 30 minutes.

Spotify playlist for Yoga Fix- Healthy Backbends

Claire designed this therapeutic class for anyone suffering from chronic or occasional back pain and for those who want to make sure to maintain a healthy spine. This short class will help you open up tight areas that contribute to back pain, strengthen muscles to support your spine, and calm down your nervous system with Pranayama breathing techniques. Take the time to keep your back healthy!

We all have habits and some are better than others. If you have chronic back pain anytime during the day or in your practice, check your posture. It can be that simple and yet it will take some work to change. In this class we will be working to change our patterns using strength as well as myo-fascial release to create new ways of moving. If you experience back pain during this class, ask yourself if it feels like injury pain or just stiffness. With stiffness it is common to have some "discomfort" when doing cat cow or lying over a block. The integration of abdominal strength with any kind of backbending exercise will ultimately relieve the pain. Get ready for a new lower back experience!

This class is part of our new Yoga en Espanol package we created for our Spanish-speaking yogis

Esta clase está diseñada para aliviar y prevenir el dolor de espalda. Un alto porcentaje de la población padece dolor de espalda por muchos motivos. Los más comunes: pasarse demasiadas horas sentados en una mala postura, acortamiento de isquiotibiales, psoas, faja abdominal débil, etc.
Esta serie te ayudará a fortalecer la espalda y abdomen, estirar todos los músculos relacionados, y relajar tu espalda.
Te sentirás como nuevo!

Back to the basics with this session specifically designed to soothe the pain in your back or prevent back pain from occurring in the future. As a long-time massage therapist, Elise guides students into stretches that allow blood flow and movement into areas that have previously been stuck or stagnant. In this class, you'll start with simple and slow poses on your back, then move to all-fours and standing for from stronger back stretching and strengthening. Remember to enjoy the Spotify playlist that accompanies this class.

Spotify playlist for Yoga for Back Pain

Learn how to deeply, safely, and effectively unlock tight shoulders, and that pesky, traditionally stuck thoracic spine (upper back). Deb Rubin shares with you some of her favorite shoulder, side body, upper back and neck openers, and will introduce you to her new, signature somatic approach to unwinding the body. This is an all levels class, intended to be gentle yet deep, and very effective.

In this class, you will be guided through a therapeutic sequence to radically unlock and align the low back, hips, and legs to reduce pain and tightness, and increase your ease and fluidity of movement. Get out of pain, and learn Deb Rubin's approach to unlocking the body, combining the modern wisdom of fascia unwinding with the ancient wisdom of Yoga asana. You will experience deeper therapeutic benefits, more effective results, a pain-free body, and a relaxed mind.

Experts estimate that as much as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in their lives. While there can be many reasons for back pain, the most common is mechanical. Yoga can bring awareness to proper body mechanics, strengthen your core and release tension to maintain a healthy back. Join Kristin for a customized, full-body, core-strenghthening, feel good, power yoga class. With the power of breath as the anchor, this class is one you'll come back to often!

Twenty years after her own back surgery, Kristin teaches a short sequence that focuses on releasing hamstrings and hips while strengthening back muscles. This all-levels yoga sequence will help bring relief to back pain by loosening tight muscles and strengthening the imbalances in our body due to our modern lifestyles.

If you experience any kind of back pain, this sequence is for you! It is a simple series of movements designed to relax muscles that are chronically tight or stressed due to back pain. Learn this sequence and do it every day to keep your back healthy and (hopefully) pain free!

Please note, that this sequence does not replace sound medical advice or physical therapy.

Join Yoga Therapist Shy Sayar for this perfect sequence to start your day and as an ideal warm up to any physical activity! With gentle, delicious movements and stretches for your hips and back, this class is therapeutic and calming as well as energizing.

Led by Life Force instructor Sibyl Buck, this slow-moving basic class covers all of the major joints and muscles in the body. This class is perfect for anyone who is seeking increased comfort and ease in their bodies, but needs to move slowly. Beginning with a brief drop-in while in savasana, progressing slowly and gently into leg stretches and strengthening, with a focus on deep core muscles and spine stabilizers. Breathing techniques are introduced for calming the nervous system, and physical techniques that invite the natural healing system of the body into action, including a restorative inversion. Backbending, forward folding and twisting are covered, with a led meditation during savasana at the end. This sequence is beneficial for anyone, but especially for those who are in the prime of life, or recovering from an injury, illness or medical procedure. Rejoin with the peaceful part of yourself that's most closely connected to the source of all life itself, and invite in the energy you'd most like to add to your experience, shaping the new season of your life out of the limitless field of potential.

Are some poses easier on one side than the other? This intermediate practice balances asymmetrical patterns of strength and weakness from side-to-side and coaxes the spine back to center. Many poses are held for several breaths allowing time to explore their inner workings –particularly how to properly rotate the torso. This strong, slow flow sequence features side bends, opposite arm and leg balances, a mandala of standing postures including Parighasana (Gate Pose) and side plank variations leading to the peak pose, Kapinjalasa (Side Plank Bow Pose). Ideal for yogis with imbalances, scoliosis and anyone who wants to feel more magic pulsing through their spine.

Patrick recommends using the following playlist for this class: Spotify playlist for Turn & Churn the Spine

Open up your stiff upper back and shoulders with this warming, stretchy flow. This class starts in child's pose, then adds a gentle twist to the spine before moving into the upper back and shoulders. You will flow through a different version of Sun Salutation that includes eka pada chaturanga and then add in some twisting and balancing. Not a lot of time is spent in the set up of the poses - you'll get right into movement. This class is great for anyone who has a stiff upper back and shoulders (desk jockeys, hair dressers, nursing mothers, athletes, etc.). This class is about moving, opening and feeling good in the body! No muss, no fluff, just asana.

I know what it is to have back pain, and it's not fun. However, there are some tips and techniques you can use to alleviate pain and get back on your feet. This simple 25-minute stretch and strengthening practice is designed to get you back in the game. Please take care and back off or stop if you feel additional pain from any of the exercises. If it hurts, it's not yoga.

This therapeutic class is for anyone wanting to keep their spine healthy, recover from chronic back pain or injury and avoid future pain. This class is designed to address all the primary factors associated with back pain: physical, mental and emotional. We’ll focus on opening your hamstrings and hip flexors and strengthening your core to create freedom in the spine. Our modern lifestyle is hectic and sedentary at the same time and this stress often manifests as neck and back pain so we’ll also utilize some relaxing pranayama techniques to quiet your mind and soothe your soul.