Yoga for Back Pain Healing Workshop (Learn the Best Yoga Poses as well as Techniques of Breathing and Relaxation to Soothe the Pain and Cure Your Back)

Introduction

Back pain can be a debilitating and discouraging experience. It’s estimated that around 80% of people will experience it at some point in their lives, so if you’re reading this, chances are you also belong to this group.

If you are searching for a natural yet effective way to reduce and heal back pain you will want to read on.

With the correct yoga therapy practice, you can forget about pain medications. Even after the first therapeutic yoga session, you will experience a decrease in pain.

Overview of the Workshop (All You Will Ever Need to Care for Your Back)

In the Beata Yoga Dhyan healing workshop for back pain, you will understand the fundamentals of therapeutic yoga and how to apply it to heal your back problems. You will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the back pain causes and risk factors, as well as the necessary knowledge and effective practices to cure it. Upon the completion of the workshop, you will have successfully integrated the back care routine into your daily life.

Who is this Workshop for?

• Beginner yoga practitioner who wants to treat back pain and generally improve health.
• Those practicing yoga for even years but still struggling with aching back.
• Those who don’t have back problems but want to prevent back pain in the first place.
• Yoga instructors who want to broaden their knowledge about therapeutic yoga for the back.

Objectives and Outcomes (What Will You Experience, Learn, and Take Back Home)

The main objectives of this workshop are to provide you with the necessary knowledge to effectively heal your back. We will address low, middle, and upper back as well as neck pain issues.

The focus is for you to develop a personalized practice based on your individual needs, which is made up of therapeutic yoga self-practice as well as necessary lifestyle adjustments including diet.

Benefits of Yoga That You Will Experience during and after the Workshop (Short and Long-term Benefits, Physical, Mental, and Emotional Benefits)

You will experience improvement in your overall physical, mental, and emotional health. You not only will improve your back, but also will gain awareness of your physical body, mental clarity, and better emotional connection to yourself. Additionally, the workshop will teach you effectively manage stress, improve focus, and increase your sense of well-being.

Most importantly, you will learn how to safely and effectively continue your practice at home to keep improving your fitness and prevent pain in the first place. The first positive changes and release you will already experience during the workshop, and then you will continue obtaining the long-term benefits by continuing the practice back home.

If you practice sports or other yoga styles you will also gain a practical understanding of how to protect your lower back from potential injuries like a slipped disc or strains like sciatica.

What Will You Learn?

How to align your back and hips to prevent back pain and sciatica. How to relieve back soreness and improve your posture. Poses to help relieve lower back pain as well as how to take care of and heal your entire back. These 8 yoga practices will become your hands-on tools in self-care:

• Yogic Hanging to elongate your spine and heal the intervertebral discs (therapeutic traction)
• Supported Standing Poses to bring about anatomically precise alignment to your body right from the foundations (your feet) and to reeducate your body for correct standing and walking
• Spinal Twists to provide movement to the muscles of your back like no other exercises (lateral trunk stretching to put back vertebras in their rightful place)
• Relaxing Forward Bends to reeducate your body on how to sit straight effortlessly for longer periods (use of adequate height to elongate your trunk and spine evenly in the front as well as the back – without collapsing the chest and abdomen)
• Therapeutic Back Bends to bring mobility to your trunk and remove stagnation from your spinal facet joints (with great care to keep your low back elongated, especially the lumbar spine)
• Regenerative and Rejuvenating Inversions to recharge and heal faster (using special props for your poses to be very restful and more effective)
• Meditative Relaxations to raise your body awareness and release stress (working both on physical as well as mental levels produces more successful healing)
• Conscious Breathing Technique in active as well as relaxing poses (using inhalations to become more aware of tension and exhalations to elongate the muscles, relax, and let go of tightness and pain)

Additionally, you will learn the causes of back issues and how to prevent them by correct lifestyle including work, rest, as well as eating habits and diet.

Yoga Sequence of Poses to Relieve Back Pain during the Workshop

Yoga Hanging -> Supported Standing Poses -> Relaxing Twists & Forward Bends or Therapeutic Back Bends (on alternate days) -> Rejuvenating and Recharging Inversions -> Meditative Relaxations (all poses active as well as passive with conscious breathing techniques)

What Should You Expect from this Workshop?

• Improved Posture (Poor posture can cause back pain. You will prevent it and alleviate back pain by aligning your body correctly.)
• Muscles Toning (You will practice strengthening your core muscles, which helps to support your spine.)
• Increased Flexibility (You will experience a reduction of muscular tension which will allow you to move your spine without pain or discomfort.)
• Stress Relief (Stress can exacerbate back pain. You will reduce it by calming your mind and body, which in turn will eliminate tension and pain.)

Back Tension, Strains, Discopathy, Pathological Curvatures of the Spine – How You Can Stretch and Heal Your Back – Exemplary Set of Yogic Hanging Exercises (Yoga Physiotherapy)

Scoliosis, kyphosis, and lordosis are serious spinal problems, but you can improve your back condition through longer stretching using your own body weight. In hanging, you can relax completely and let gravity do the work. In one variant of the exercise, you hang from your arms, while in the other you have a belt attached around your hips and your trunk hangs freely downward.

Prerequisites & Preparation

Pre-Workshop Preparation

Before attending this healing workshop, it’s highly recommended that you prepare yourself by adapting your daily schedule to the timings of the workshop sessions. Going to sleep early, keeping regular times of your meals, and finding a balance between work and rest will ensure that you get the most out of the learning and practice.

What to Bring

You need to bring a yoga mat, a yoga belt, and a comfortable set of clothing that allows you to move freely, such as yoga pants or leggings, a t-shirt, and a light jacket or sweater. It’s important to note that the practice is done barefoot, so you don’t need sports shoes for yoga. It is also recommended that you bring a bottle to be able to fill it up and drink during the sessions. Drinking plenty of water keeps you well-hydrated and enhances deeper body purification. A scarf and a pair of comfortable socks for the relaxation pose will help you stay more comfortable and warm.

Follow-up after the Workshop

Once the workshop is completed, you are inspired to continue your practice at home to maintain good health and increase the physical and mental benefits. There are several resources available to help you continue to practice, including Beata Yoga Dhyan booklets and online videos.

You will realize deep in yourself that self-care and self-love through a healthy lifestyle are essential for a successful yoga therapy practice. Therefore you are encouraged to adjust your life to get adequate rest, practice mindful eating habits, and engage in activities that bring you joy. By following these tips, you will make sure your yoga therapy practice provides you with profound and lasting healing benefits.

Encouragement to Experience Group Energy

In addition to the physical and mental benefits, yoga can also be a great way to build relationships with other mindful people who care for their health and well-being. During the workshop, yoga classes offer a communal atmosphere that provides strong motivation and a sense of support. Through group effort, participants can also learn from each other by sharing experiences, which can be extremely beneficial for you when embarking upon the therapeutic yoga journey.

Beata Yoga Dhyan Technique & Methodology of Therapeutic Practice

Beata Yoga Dhyan is a mind-body therapy that combines traditional yoga techniques and meditation with modern knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathology.

It uses a holistic approach to health, allowing you to gain physical strength and flexibility, mental clarity, and emotional balance.

The yoga program includes postural alignment through precise yoga poses, as well as stretching, breathing exercises, and meditative relaxation techniques.

Self-care and healing teachings used by Beata Yoga Dhyan are following Ayurvedic principles. The practice of yoga and lifestyle adjustments that are taught consider your innate body constitution as per Ayurveda (your Tri-dosha composition or Prakriti).

Over the past 12 years, the teacher of Beata Yoga Dhyan used this technique and methodology to treat a variety of medical conditions, including back pain.

How to Lengthen Your Spine and Immediately Relieve Back Pain?

The most effective way to lengthen your spine and the entire trunk is to practice hanging upside down from the yoga belt regularly. This is also the way you can stop chronic low back pain from reoccurring.

Yoga Exercises and Poses to Relieve Lower Back

One of the most common yoga stretches for lower back pain is the Child’s Pose (with the arms to the sides of the trunk) or the Downward Facing Hero Pose (with the arms stretched forward). These pose involve extending your trunk forward in kneeling with feet stretched back, and bringing your forehead to the floor. This allows your lower back muscles to elongate and tension to release. The Child’s Pose is more passive, whereas the Downward Facing Hero Pose produces more extension of the back muscles. Both poses are very calming and give great relief from lower back pain.

Alternatively, you can lie down on your back and pull your bent legs towards the chest and thus extend the lumbar area. It is called Gas Release Pose because at the same time as it stretches your back, it gives you relief from flatulence (for gas release you need to additionally pull the head up and toward the chest).

Another easy exercise is the Bridge Pose in Shoulder Stand. It involves lying on your back and lifting your hips by pressing your feet into the floor. Lack of movement of a body part causes its poor blood supply and even degeneration. This pose helps to bring mobility to the back of your pelvis and the low back area removing pathological stagnation.

The Teacher – Beata Steć

Beata holds dear to her heart the natural arts of healing. Struggling with bodily tension, and back, neck, and knee pains during her high school and architecture studies she decided to find a way to take care of her body. She was also always fascinated by mental and spiritual practices, so yoga was the right path to take.

She started her yoga journey in 2006 in Spain and continued the practice in her home country Poland. In 2009 she went to India to do extensive yoga teacher training. 2010-2020 she taught yoga at all levels including therapeutic yoga at the Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre (specializing in Yoga Therapy), Dharamsala, and Goa, India as well as conducted yoga workshops and retreats in Europe.

In 2019 she additionally completed 3-month teacher training at The Yoga Institute (specializing in Yoga Therapy with a very long history of patient treatment), in Mumbai, India. In 2021 she passed the Yoga Teacher and Evaluator level 3 exam from the Indian government ministry of AYUSH. Presently Beata teaches in Warsaw, Poland, as well as internationally, sharing how we can take care of our health and promote well-being with very effective yoga practices.

BONUS SECTION

Understanding Yoga for Back Pain

Your self-education is crucial for treating chronic back pain. A yoga instructor who is a good physical therapist can teach you proper body mechanics and posture to reduce pressure and stress on your back as well as regain confidence in your physical ability.

It’s important that you know how to exercise to prevent pain as well as help it effectively – and quickly – when it occurs. That’s why you are encouraged to learn the best yoga poses for back pain and practice them regularly.

The classic yoga pose is performed on the yoga mat, whereas therapeutic yoga will include the use of props to make sure your practice is effective, comfortable, and most of all safe.

In a regular yoga class, you will receive general instructions in the poses, whereas, in a therapeutic session, you will focus to address specific pain and disability.

Basic Causes of Back Pain

• Activities like lifting heavy objects, working in awkward positions, or participating in sports without proper conditioning or warm-up put a strain on your back that causes back pain.
• A sedentary lifestyle without good back support is a very common cause of lower back pain.
• Another factor that can influence pain intensity is your posture. Poor posture puts unnecessary strain and stress on your back, leading to pain.
• Misalignments in your pelvis due to tension or because your left or right leg is shorter can be the reason why you have back issues.

Tips to Make You Experience Decreased Pain in the Back

• Wear orthopedic insoles to correct the legs’ length to align your hips (if this is your case).
• When sitting, support the back comfortably and ensure your feet are flat on the floor.
• When standing, ensure that your weight is evenly distributed between both feet and that you don’t lean to front part of the feet.
• When lifting heavy objects, use good posture and keep the weight close to your body.
• Take enough rest to reduce mental stress and body tension.

Yoga and physical therapy can teach you good posture when sitting, standing, and moving around.

How to Practice Yoga for Back Problems – Strength or Flexibility of Your Back Muscles to Soothe Your Pain?

Yoga for back pain must include 2 kinds of poses:

• To strengthen your core muscles to give proper support to your trunk
• To elongate your back and thus recreate the lost space between the vertebras

Your back pain can help you understand a few important things about your body. Your pain is a warning and especially you should carefully listen to your lower back signals. For example, excessive pressure on the intervertebral discs puts them at risk of hernia.

A strength workout only shortens the muscles, so you need to practice stretching as well, to keep your body in balance. Yoga emphasizes the equal importance of flexibility, so remember to keep your back tendons, ligaments, and muscles at the correct length to prevent pain, injury, and degeneration.

Comparing Yoga with Sport (Practice Yoga to Protect Your Back and Improve Your Sports Performance)

Yoga is a mind-body therapy with a primary focus on your health and well-being. True yoga is never competitive but rather oriented inward, towards the body healing, and its preparation for the deeper practice of personal evolution.

The sport’s primary focus is performance, it may involve physical fitness and health. However, it often can lead to contusions, because it is oriented on external goals. Competitive sports put the aim of winning first and the body second and that’s why you can undergo physical strain. Leisure sports like jogging may bring positive benefits to health as they provide movement, nonetheless, many runners complain of their knees.

This comparison is not to say that yoga is better than sports. Sports bring a lot of joy to people, keeping them psychologically sharp and fit. If you do sports then the best thing is to make sure you adequately care for your body, for example, that you consider the health of your joints.

Yoga can help your sport to be safer because you will become more aware of your body. It can also help you to be more effective because your mind will be calmer and more focused.

Since in many sports spine and back are particularly vulnerable, you can benefit from therapeutic types of yoga that focus on lengthening your back. This will treat not only back pain but make you enjoy all the physical activities that you do.

Yoga for Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is a common issue that affects people of all ages. It can range from a dull ache to severe pain that can interfere with normal activities.

The most common causes of lower back pain include poor posture, a sedentary lifestyle, heavy lifting, muscle strain, overuse, injuries, arthritis, and disc problems.

If you experience lower back pain several poses and exercises that gently stretch and lengthen the muscles around your lower spine, lumbar, and back of your pelvis will help you.

Conditions such as sciatica and herniated discs can also affect other parts of the body. Education for chronic low back issues and having the right practice in place will generally improve the way you feel in your whole body and therefore will prove to be life-changing.

Yoga for Middle Back Pain

If you are arching your back and thus collapse your trunk backward you strain the muscles around your spine as well as diminish the necessary space for your vital organs. Compressing your lungs, liver, or heart can cause long-term problems.

Yoga involves posture correction to relieve your joints, muscles, and organs. Additionally, when you keep your chest open, your energy is high because you can breathe freely, and this promotes a good feeling about yourself.

Yoga teaches you to be mindful of your spine and reeducates your body tendencies in lying down, sitting, standing, and walking.

Yoga for Upper Back Pain and Neck Pain

Pain in the upper trunk and neck is related to stooping posture and allowing the shoulders to go up and forward. Over a longer time, it creates lots of muscular tension and degenerative condition of the entire upper trunk, including the chest, shoulders, and neck causing chronic pain.

Such posture causes you to be “trapped in the head”, and feel stressed because the nerve transition from the brain to the rest of the body is blocked at the cervical region of the spine. In yoga it is said that too much energy then collects in the head, causing overthinking and weakening of the body.

To keep your cervical spine free of tension and healthy you need to keep your shoulders back and down in their rightful place.

A therapeutic Shoulder Stand with lots of height under your shoulders to pull them back using your own weight and elongating your neck is a great way to heal the issues in the upper part of your back, shoulders, and neck. If your sedentary lifestyle causes your neck and shoulders to always tense you can release it on daily basis.

7 Yoga Poses for Back Pain Relief

The following simple hatha yoga asanas and exercises can be of help if you currently struggle with back pain, soreness, or stiffness.

Supine Twisting Pose

If you need an “S.O.S.” pose for relieving acute back pain and the only thing you can do is lie down in your bed, then you must start with supine twisting pose. It’ll not only decrease pain and tension but also improve your mood. It’ll also increase the flexibility of your entire trunk, as well as hips, and legs (since all these parts participate in the movements).

Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground one foot apart from each other. You can support your head on a blanket for comfort. Swing your knees from side to side in a steady, smooth motion, and feel how your lower back is being massaged and released from tension.

Relax your abdomen and allow your breath to become free. Keeping your belly muscles soft will allow the healing twisting movements to penetrate deeper into your lumbar region.

Upward Facing Dog Pose

If you feel your back stiff, and chest closed with difficulty breathing, then upward facing dog pose will not only release your back but will also help to stretch your trunk, opening your chest and pulling your shoulders back.

Lie down on your stomach and lift your chest, shoulders, and head off the floor pressing your palms down. Hold the pose for 5-10 breaths and then come back to lying down for 5-10 breath to relax. Repeat 5 to 10 rounds.

Legs Up the Wall Mudra

If you feel a strain on your back due to long-standing hours you might also need to relieve your legs in legs up the wall mudra.

Sit next to a wall and then swing your legs up onto the wall. Excess venous blood will be released, which is helpful for the varicose veins.

Place your arms out to the side and relax your entire body, especially the throat and the abdomen. Allow your natural breath to gently move your belly up (on inhalation), and down (on exhalation), and thus massage your entire trunk. Your pelvis and entire back will be nourished and relaxed.

Standing Forward Bend Pose

If you have been sitting for many hours and feel that not only do you have a sore back but you also need to stretch your legs, hips, and entire trunk then standing forward bend pose will provide you great relief.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your torso forward. Stretch your arms forward and support your hands on a chair, a table, or a window sill. Using adequate height under the hands is to make your back straight and not let your chest collapse.

Activate your feet by stretching your toes, this will bring more life to your legs and hips. Exhale and lengthen your trunk by stretching your fingers.

Cat-Cow Pose

The cat-cow pose is excellent for increasing the flexibility of your backbone, giving great relief for the lower back pain.

Start in a tabletop position with your hands and knees on the floor. Arch your back up like a cat, and then sink your spine downward like a cow. The pose is about moving back and forth your trunk to release its stagnation and increase its flexibility.

Shift between the two poses and hold each for 5-10 breaths. Do 10-20 rounds.

Locust Pose

If your back issues are related to muscle weakness then this pose is a great way to strengthen the back muscles.

Lie on your stomach with your legs extended behind you. Engage the muscles of your lower back, buttocks, and thighs, and lift your trunk. Stretch your arms to side of your legs, pull your shoulders back, and spread your fingers to open your chest wider.

Corpse Pose

Pain can be psychosomatic, which means be caused by psychological tension. Yoga may free you from both physical as well as mental disturbances.

If you need a yoga help not only with back pain but also with stress you can regularly practice yogic relaxation.

Lie down on your back and make yourself comfortable. You can place your head on a blanket to better extend your neck.

Also, you can use a rolled blanket, a bolster, or a bigger pillow under your legs to better draw your lower back away from your head. Make sure your body is symmetrical and that the back of your right and left legs are supported at equal heights.

Make your body soft by giving its weight to Mother Earth.

Take a deep breath, feel all your tension, and make a long deep exhalation allowing your body to sink to the floor and feel how at the same time all the tightness and stress are melting away.

You can do such letting go with the breath several times until you feel a complete state of relaxation. Allow your mind to become calm and quiet, and stay meditative in the pose by observing the natural flow of your breath with awareness. Enjoy the inner peace that is the best healer for your nervous system and aching body.