Back pain? You have come to the right place.

Hi and Welcome to your Journey into Yoga! I’m Avery Rich and am so happy to have you along for the ride!

“My back pain is like a rock band. It gets louder every time I try to turn it down.” I found this quote on the internet, so thank you fsmstatistics.fm, whoever you are!

How's your low back? The reason I ask is because personally and professionally I see a huge number of family, friends, acquaintances and students who complain of low back pain. It has become such a prevalent condition in people.

One of the things about back pain that perhaps isn’t discussed that much is, what is the culprit? and what can be done to alleviate it? The truth of the matter is that one of the biggest causes of back pain is stress. Yes, believe it or not, stress can lead to physical ailments, and a common one is back pain. Sure, there are some injuries to the back that are not caused by stress - slipped discs and other back issues have real physical causes and need real physical responses, sometimes even surgery. And yes, as I have discussed before, tight muscle groups such as tight hamstrings and hips can also lead to back pain. But we shouldn’t under estimate the ability for stress and tension to cause real physical problems in our back bodies. When we bring some calm to our lives we can see many of these physical aches and pains become alleviated.

So reducing stress in our lives is a big positive step towards alleviating back pan. But what else can we do?? I see advertised products promising pain relief, ointments - and let’s not forget the multitude of massage pillows and products designed to target back pain - I own one too and use it often! Massages, physio can help too - but is there anything you can do that targets and helps ease low back pain on your own? Well you have come to the right place.

Of course yoga can help! Many postures can soothe and stretch the back body and today we will explore one such pose! Sphinx is one of those yoga postures that I can only best describe as subtle. It can even feel like you are in a bit of a resting pose, yet this pose does so much more for the body; a beautiful low back stretch and opener which I am excited to share with you. Sphinx not only stretches and strengthen the back muscles, but it also stretches out the glutes too.

To come into sphinx pose, Lie on your stomach on your yoga mat or a comfortable surface on the floor. you want to be resting onto your forearms, with your elbows resting roughly underneath your shoulder and your wrists and elbows about the same distance apart. now, staying propped up onto your forearms, press the tops of your feet and legs into the earth slightly engaging the front of your thighs as you do this. Try and Create some space between your neck and shoulders and reach forward through the heart. you are welcome to position the head looking upwards, straight ahead or down to the floor. As we hold here for 20 breaths, Breathe deeply and consistently, sending your breath to any part of your body that feels tight.

As we begin to release from this pose, allow yourself to sit upright for a few breaths…

decide how you would like to bring your practice to an end - shavasana or in some other way.

Thank you for taking me along on your journey into yoga - I look forward to seeing you next time. Until then, stay happy and calm.