Yoga and elimination of back pain

"Relaxation as Practice" is a major aspect of the restorative yoga taught . Working with the BackMitra and correct positioning in a relaxed state allows the power of gravity to profoundly engage the deepest muscles. The following series of seven positions demonstrate a few aspects of how students are taught to work with the BackMitra.

The BackMitra should be aligned with the lowest part of your breastbone. It was specifically designed to approximately equal the width of the spine and is made out of a high-compression material that provides excellent support.

the BackMitra is placed on the floor. The back of your head and the spine between your shoulder blades will be resting on the block. Touch the lowest part of your breastbone. The end of the BackMitra is located on the spine directly under this point.

The starting position for "relaxation as practice" is as follows: knees bent, feet hip width apart, soles of feet flat on the floor, heels turned out slightly, buttocks with equal weight on the floor, neck long and relaxed, arms next to your body, eyes closed and face relaxed. In this position, you will feel the weight of your head, shoulders and body sink into the BackMitra. The power of gravity is now at work.

Students are guided through a series of movements that are coordinated with the in and out breath. A strap is held in the hands one hand-width apart. In one position, you will find yourself with elbows slightly bent, pulling gently on the strap, hands toward the ceiling. You will be asked to observe the point on your spine where most of the pressure is located and breathing towards that point, feel the melting of tension around that point, allowing the back muscles to sink towards the floor.

In another aspect of the series, on an out breath, you will be asked to more your arms slowly behind you, keeping them a few inches off the floor. This is a profoundly dynamic stretch. You will feel the shoulders move away from the ears and the outside of the shoulder blades toward the floor. Again, you will be asked to observe any particular point of pressure that is manifesting for you and asked to visualize how on each out breath the vertebras around that pressure point melt into the BackMitra.

Building on the previous position, you will be asked to on an out breath slowly push your pelvis up towards the ceiling. You will press from the inside of your feet towards the back of your head. Again, you will be asked to observe the particular point of pressure that manifests for you and breath into that pressure, allowing it to melt away.

The BackMitra is also a dynamic pelvic stretch. You will be asked to lie in such a way that your sacrum is on one end of the block and the other end is between your ankles. Eventually, you will rest the soles of your feet against the sides of the BackMitra, opening your thighs, and creating a profound stretch across the pelvic region.