Written By Glen Wood

Components of relaxation therapy can include visualization techniques, breathing exercises or meditation. With this in mind, yoga is an effective practice for managing and relieving back pain as the physical and mental components are addressed in yoga: postures, breathing and relaxation.

Yoga can also help chronic pain by preventing it in the first place. One debilitating condition, back pain, can be helped with yoga which boosts strength to the back’s major muscle groups. With constant repetition of these positions, it can work your abdominal muscles as well. When abdominal and back muscles are concentrated on at the same time, it works towards strengthening your muscular framework, your inner core, which means better posture that leads to reduced back pain.

Try yoga for back pain prevention and pain relief. Yoga is often helpful for back pain sufferers, as performing a variety of different types of postures generally help to stretch and strengthen all of the body’s major muscles groups.

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook was very helpful because it has a whole chapter called Hip, Thigh and Knee Pain. Plus, it has many detailed diagrams of the muscles inside of your leg that show where common trigger points are in these muscles, where pain is referred to when these trigger points are activated, and detailed instructions on how to release these contractions using some simple massage tools and self massage techniques.

Back pain is a problem which affects many people, and there are many causes of it ranging from bad posture, to weak abdominal and back muscles. Yoga postures will help to stretch the tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles which can create back pain.

It is best to do your yoga exercise for low back pain under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor, and if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert. Even just one or two sessions with a yoga instructor can help, as an instructor will help you with your form and posture during poses.

Glen Wood – The Yoga Teacher, dedicated to unlocking the Real Secrets of Back and Shoulder Pain.

To help you further with your shoulder/back pain you need to sign up for your FREE “Yoga and You” report at http://www.YogaTeachingwithGlen.com

Written By Glen Wood

You should set up a specific goal for the day and try to attain it, however much it hurts (within reason). A beginning goal might be to walk half a block a day and increase the distance gradually over time. Doctors and physical therapists can help determine safe and effective ways to recondition your bodies. Initially, it will hurt. The muscles have not been used for a long time. The pain signifies that the muscle being exercised has been weakened by lack of use. Gentle stretching exercises such as yoga are very useful, this will help your knee and back pain.

With knee pain, over a period of time the lower back will also begin to suffer. As the pressure of relieving the ‘weak’ knee is transferred to the other, which in turn puts pressure on the lower back.

You may not notice this shift as the body is really good at compensating and with the imbalance now in place, this now becomes the ‘norm’ as the body tries to re-balance itself. Sometimes back pain will be felt, not always.

Even if you do practice yoga, it is always a good idea to have your body/spine checked for imbalances by your healthcare professional. Visiting your osteopath, spinal therapist, chiropractor, massage therapist every now and again will help you to be more aware of your body and to take steps to rectify any imbalances.

The researchers say that exercise has previously been shown to relieve chronic low back pain, but this is the first study to suggest yoga may be superior to other forms of exercise. “Yoga may be beneficial for back pain because it involves physical movement, but it may also exert benefits through its effects on mental focus,” they write. This focus could help patients “increase their awareness of how they had been moving and positioning their body in maladaptive ways, to relax tense muscles, and to relieve mental stress.”

Glen Wood – The Yoga Teacher, dedicated to unlocking the Real Secrets of Back and Shoulder Pain.

To help you further with your shoulder/back pain you need to sign up for your FREE “Yoga and You” report at http://www.YogaTeachingwithGlen.com

Written By Suzanne Andrews

Yoga may seem mysterious to the uninitiated, but it is simply a form of exercise that stimulates your mind and increases your body’s level of fitness. Yoga means to yoke – to unite – your mind, body and spirit and was derived from the Sanskirt Indians well over 5000 years ago. Although yoga is ancient, it can and does make people feel and look 20 years younger.

Yoga means many different things to many different people. It is rooted in Indian spiritual tradition, and indeed the word, ‘yogi’ means someone who practices yoga. The word yoga itself comes from the Indian word, yug, “to unify.” A goal of yoga is to unify your mind, body and spirit to a more relaxed state of being. When you practice yoga breathing, you are better able to connect inner peace from your mind to every piece of your body. There are many different styles of yoga, each with its own focus. The two most common types practiced in the United States are Hatha yoga and Bikram Yoga, also known as ‘hot’ yoga. Each has its own distinct style of movement and thought.

Consequently, yoga is not a religion. People who practice yoga can be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Agnostic, or any religion they wish. Yoga is a time proven method to enhancing mental focus and physical balance to help you function at full capacity.

So What type of yoga is right for you? Hatha yoga, meaning sun (ha) and moon (tha) has become very popular in the West it is the most physical type of yoga. Yogi’s who practice Hatha recognize that a weak and tired body is a barrier to your lifes fullest potential. Therefore Hatha yoga aims to make your body an ideal vehicle for good health and fill it with energy. Hatha concentrates on postures ( asanas) and breathing exercises ( pranayama) and meditation, (Dhyana) to energize the mind, body and spirit. Whereas Hatha yoga is generally practiced at 72 – 78 degrees, Bikram yoga is practiced in a room that is between 95- 108 degrees with humidity level of 60%. Bikram consists of 26 poses practiced for a period of ninety minutes and requires you to be able to exercise in hot temperatures. If you choose this type of yoga, make sure to drink plenty of water. If you feel more comfortable to try yoga from your living room, there are plenty of DVD’s to choose from. Just make sure you choose one appropriate for your age and fitness level.

The benefits of yoga are enormous. Muscle connective tissue has a natural tendency to shorten with aging as often evidenced in the stiffness of people as young as 25. Muscles must be regularly stretched to minimize muscle shortening. No matter how strong you are, if your muscles are tight; bending and reaching become very painful.

Yoga helps combat the negative effects of stiffness, pain, and stress through relaxation both mentally and physically. With its gentle stretch, strengthening and mental conditioning it is an excellent form of exercise especially for the growing population over the age of 40.

Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia demonstrated how just one session of yoga can lower blood levels of the stress hormone – cortisol. Suzanne Andrews, health expert for Healthy Lifestyles at WCEU reported the findings of this study, “Participants cortisol level were measured before and after they practiced yoga, then again before and after they sat quietly while reading. After the Yoga sessions, cortisol levels dropped. There was no drop after the resting sessions. Consequently, Suzanne Andrews further researched and found there is a direct correlation between weight gain and stress. Her latest Yoga DVD’, Yoga Chi for Energy specialize in releasing stress and increasing energy.

Suzanne Andrews

http://www.HealthWiseExercise.com