Can I do Yoga if I Have Back Pain? 3 Do's and Dont's to get you started.

 

The simple answer is YES! But not all yoga is created equal. Some cues provided by yoga instructors were not meant for people with back pain. YOU need to be the one in control of how your body feels and how you perform each yoga pose. In this video I provide some tips, i.e. Do's and Dont's, whether you are just starting out with yoga or trying to keep your practice going.

The Effects of Stress on Your Pain and How Yoga can Help

Maybe back pain is just one of the many "conditions" you have. Do you also have high blood pressure, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and/or pain in other areas of the body like the neck, shoulder and knees?

If so, STRESS may be the root cause.

In this video, you will learn how low levels of chronic stress keeps the nervous system on alert all day and all night long. Over time, stress can take its toll on the body. Yoga is one way to create awareness of your stress triggers. Awareness is the only way that you can take charge of your own health.

To create Awareness you need to start a mindful practice, which can be as simple as taking 3 deep breaths or begin meditating. But you NEED to start today! Watch my YouTube video on how to start meditating, even when you have pain.

Namaste,

Stephanie

How your Aging Spine is Like an Oreo Cookie

We see how our bodies are changing when we look in the mirror.  You know what I mean…yes, those wrinkles are evidence that we are aging…normally.

Our spines are no different, we just don’t see how time and stress is affecting our joints and discs every day because we can’t see them…until…

…one day, you wake up with back pain and your doctor sends you for an X-Ray. With that picture (or an MRI which is an even better picture) you can see the changes. You now have visual evidence on the INSIDE that you are AGING…NORMALLY!

The X-Ray or MRI shows your wrinkles on the inside.

But we call those wrinkles degenerative discs and joints and these normal age-related changes are treated like a disease.

Your wrinkles don’t hurt, what if you changed how you approach your wrinkles on the inside? 

What if you accepted these changes and thought of yourself as normal rather than broken? 

Education in this video can help you think and believe differently about the changes in your spine.

Degenerative Discs and Joints are NOT a Disease, they are normal changes due to age.  In this video, I explain (WITH  OREO COOKIES) what this looks like and why it is not something to FEAR. 

These aging changes are not something to FEAR and they don’t need to be painful!

These changes do mean that you have to take care of your spine and there are many ways to do that:

  • regular aerobic exercise like walking or swimming

  • frequent mobility practice to use your range of motion or eventually lose it

  • strength training for support of your muscles and joints 

  • stress reduction to stop your brain from creating pain

If this video gets you HUNGRY for more ways to HEAL YOUR BACK (see my pun there!), email me at info@stephaniecarterkelley.com or learn more about my DIY program blending Physical Therapy and Yoga.

Namaste,

Stephanie

How to Begin Meditating, Even When You Have Chronic Pain

Relieve back pain, neck pain, and others types of chronic pain with the physical, mental, and spiritual practices from Yoga and Physical Therapy blended together.

In this video Stephanie Carter Kelley, Physical Therapist and Yoga Teacher shares how people with chronic and persistent pain can start meditating today!

Resources to begin meditating today:

  • Insight Timer App (free): has 12,000 free meditations and some are specifically for people in pain.

  • Center for Mindfulness at UCSD has free guided meditations of various lengths. As suggested in this video, start with 10 or 15 minutes and build your tolerance to longer sessions. https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/m...

  • This book by Penman and Burch gave me a path to meditation when I was in pain: "You are not Your Pain". It comes with 8 guided meditations on a CD.

Visit www.stephaniecarterkelley.com for more resources on how Yoga blended with Physical Therapy can help you relieve pain today!

My 1st PT Lesson: Create Natural Movement to Ease Your Back Pain

YOUR SPINE WAS MEANT TO MOVE!

Pelvic tilts from Physical Therapy are the same movements as Cat/Cow in Yoga. You get to take control of these movements to perform a little or a lot. These movements nourish your spine and re-create natural motions to remind your spine it can move without pain.

Stephanie Carter Kelley, PT, PhD and Certified Yoga Teacher shares physical, mental, and spiritual practices to relieve chronic and persistent pain.

See www.stephaniecarterkelley.com to learn more.

If you like this video please give it a THUMBS UP and SUBSCRIBE to the channel. Also tap on the bell to receive an alert each week when I post a new video.

If you want a longer practice to use each day to reclaim the mobility of ALL your joints, sign up at: www.stephaniecarterkelley.com/youtube-mobility-video

What's really hurting your low back is a stiff upper back

Grab your foam roller and learn how to create more movement in your aching back by addressing the stiffness in your mid- and upper back.

You can get foam rollers on Amazon. You need 36" long and 6" diameter. You don't need fancy, cheap will do! The brand used often by PT's is the OPTP Axis. They also have softer rollers for sensitive spines (https://smile.amazon.com/OPTP-PRO-ROL...) As a warning, the black "high density" rollers are really hard.

Our hunched sitting posture each day over many years results in mid- and upper back stiffness. This results in "overuse" of the low back (and neck!) which is one of many reasons you may hurt.

For more information about how to heal your pain, see my website: www.stephaniecarterkelley.com