Lower back pain is a discomfort that affects all. It could be a result of our stressful lives, our constantly wired minds, our poor postural alignment or our inability to live life with moderation.

Whatever the cause, it is worth finding it first and then addressing it relevantly by changing your mindset, diet, watching your alignment and maintaining a stress-free existence. Personally I had to change my lifestyle and alter my sitting, walking, reclining and exercise habits in order to stay pain-free. I have been suffering from severe back pain for years. I tested everything to alleviate the pain. I tried acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractor adjustments, herbs, moxibustion, swimming and manual therapy. But nothing gave me instant relief. Not even my yoga practice. When I committed to a regular Yoga practice 20 years ago, I was the standard newbie. Wanted to accomplish all the poses in no time. Paid no attention to postural and vibrational alignment and often forced my way into poses – neglecting my anatomical edge. The result was pretty grim. I injured my back, herniated my discs and started suffering from chronic lower back pain.

The more Yoga I did, the worse it got. Until I developed “Yogea” a new style of yoga that introduced compound stretching and axial torsion to keep the spine supple and healthy. Classical yoga is sometimes very hard-core, and instead of giving relief to the lower back it strains the muscles and locks the ligaments that support the lumbar spine. You feel warm and open during the actual practice, but when you cease the whole body aches. And in the morning you can’t even crawl out of bed.

Before sharing some of Yogea’s wonderful back pain “alleves” in a brief but soothing sequence, it is worth mentioning that most back pain is mechanical and is due to the increased stress and strain that the lower back is subject to. The spine supports the entire body weight and it is made of 30 small bones or vertebrae stacked one on top of the other. A spongy piece of cartilage, called a disc, sits between each vertebra. It acts as a shock absorber, preventing the bony vertebrae from grinding against one another.

With age, these cushioning discs gradually wear away and shrink. Discs can also tear or become injured. Sometimes the weakening of a disc can put pressure on its jelly-like center. This pressure often leads to herniated disc, in which the center of the disc bulges.

Sometimes that bulging causes the material from inside the disc to press on the sensitive nerves that carry messages to the brain. The pain is in the lower back can put pressure on the nerve that extends down the spinal column. This commonly causes pain to radiate to the buttocks and all the way down the leg.

When a vertebrae moves more than it should, it can slide forward and on top of another. When this happens, bones can press on the spinal nerves and cause lower back pain. Vertebral fractures caused by osteoporosis (brittle bones) Scoliosis or abnormal curvature of the spine can cause back pain.

Less commonly, low back pain can be a sign of a serious medical condition, such as diabetes or a pinched nerve. In the case of a pinched nerve, the pain may be accompanied by symptoms like fever, chills, night sweats, or loss of bladder control.

What can we do to prevent this excruciating pain? Judging from personal experience I highly recommend a soothing but core building yoga practice that focuses on lower back extension, side stretches, gentle twisted contractions and safe chest-openers. Building strong abdominals is key to the health of the spine as the back is supported and the posture doesn’t collapse. This allows you to extend your spine fully and to expand the space between the vertebrae. The lateral bends on the other hand, elongate the sides of the waist. When you add a subtle contraction to the side- bends you stretch the square muscle that connects the legs with the torso – thus massaging the lower back and providing more length. The gentle twists decompress the spine, increase the space between the vertebrae and align both sides of the body equally. The alternation of chest-openers and forward bends, sequenced by contracting twists and side bends provide full torsial flexion and extension and alleviate pressure from the lumbar nerve endings.

But most importantly, remember, that lower back pain can be relieved by engaging all the body parts, muscles, bones, ligaments and tendons simultaneously and in tandem. While you are stretching the tendons you could also strengthen the legs and open the shoulders and the upper back. While soothing the lower back, you could also massage the neck and the shoulder blades. While stretching the sides you are toning the oblique abdominals that support the structure of the lower back. The body could never heal in isolation, but only when it is energetically and structurally integrated. Note, that all body parts are linked together and are mutually supportive and to heal an achy lower back you have to engage the whole body – physically and energetically. Then mentally you have to consider whether you are putting too much strain on yourself by pushing to accomplish things against the odds. Consider whether you have too much load on your shoulders, or whether you have redeemed your karmic debts. And if you are looking for a quick fix for your back ache. Give it up. All healing is a work in progress and requires a total makeover – mental, physical, energetic and emotional. Give your self the time to practice regularly combine your practice with different complimentary therapies and holistic remedies.

I still recall the words of an old orthopedist I went to when I first started to experience severe lower back pain. After many of his colleagues had recommended surgery as the only resort, he smiled and said: “Girl, you have a very strong spirit trapped in a fragile body. Make the body as strong and supple as your spirit and the pain will go away. Cut on all the non-essentials in your life and let the real things define your sense of purpose and the magnitude of your pursuits.” And so I did. I cut on a lot of activities that I was doing just for the “heck” of it, and freed space for personal practice and daily contemplation. This not only healed my back for good, but also tuned my spirit to the needs and edges of my body. A body, that had the full capacity to heal itself.

Back Soothing Yoga Routine: Pain-free

Designed and performed by our inspiring Yogea teacher Marina Grubic.

This accessible, slow-paced Yogea practice brings you in touch with your core and allows you to create more space through your lower back- alleviating pain while strengthening. A gentle massage while reclining forward awakens the muscles of the back to generate heat and align the spine. Side reclining positions allow for the lower back to twist and elongate. Seated forward bends help lengthen the lower back. Micro twists are added on the sagittal plane to curve the spine in and tone the spinal muscles. Rib cage isolations while kneeling expand and compress the intercostals stimulating the production of synovial fluid and cushioning the vertebrae. Forward lunges are coupled with deep squats to promote extra length. Gentle shoulder openers open the cervical spine and the blades. When coupled with a hollowing of the belly, these twists and openers sponge the joints with a gluing gel. Gentle twists decompress the spine and subtle backbends facilitate further elongation and extra strength. Supine reclining rocking releases the pressure from the tailbone and catapults the body into a creative visualization that allows you to explore the mutual support of your background and foreground that makes your spine flexible and pain-free.