Alison West – Yoga for Back Health

Alison West – Yoga for Back Health

Get relief from back pain and support your spinal health for years to come. Join Alison West, PhD, C-IAYT, E-RYT, founder and director of Yoga Union Backcare & Scoliosis Center, for a 6-week course on how to address common back issues, pain, and postural problems with yoga. You’ll learn the key anatomy of your back, how to evaluate your posture and identify movement patterns, and how to move safely in your asana practice (and life) to support your spine. This course is for anyone with back issues—such as general pain and strain, herniation or disc bulges, hyperkyphosis or lordosis, arthritis, sacroiliac-joint problems, or spondylolisthesis; those who want to prevent future problems or flare ups; and yoga teachers who want to safely support their students and lead them toward better back health.

Course objectives: 

• Learn how to heal your back and practice yoga safely after strain
• Feel a difference in your asana practice after you identify and correct postural problems and poor movement patterns
• Protect sensitive areas of your back and keep your back safe if you have bone or soft-tissue disorders
• Understand back issues in your students if you’re a yoga teacher and help them practice safely
• Learn key poses for different types of back pain
• Prevent future issues with your asana practice

Each week you’ll get:

• An anatomy lesson on common back issues
• An asana sequence to address common types of back pain or disorders
• A workshop of a key pose and multiple ways to support it
• Tips to help you move safely through your asana practice when you have back problems

Curriculum:

WEEK 1: Anatomy of back issues

• Learn about the structure of your spine and planes of movement
• Get an overview of common back disorders and principles of practice in working with them
• Gain an understanding of how to approach back care in a yoga practice

WEEK 2: Posture and prevention

• Learn about the major postural tendencies that can cause back and neck pain
• Examine (and correct) the movements of your pelvis, lower back, and upper back that lead to poor posture and put you at risk for injury
• Explore the foundation of sound posture in asana practice and life
• Understand the difference between pelvic flexion over your legs and spinal flexion; and how to work with a neutral spine
• Lean how to identify and address back fatigue and weak and tired muscles; learn how to prevent future problems with a sound practice
• Get key poses for acute pain

WEEK 3: Yoga for back pain 

• Learn about the muscles of your trunk, your sacrum, and the special movements of the sacroiliac joints
• Get tips for healing your back and practicing yoga safely after strain
• Learn how to protect the special movements of your sacrum

WEEK 4: Disc issues and vertebral-body issues 

• Learn the anatomy of disc bulges, herniation, degeneration, osteoporosis, and osteophytes
• Work with a neutral spine during pelvic flexion
• Learn how to create space and keep your spine safe in an asana practice

WEEK 5: Hyperkyphosis, hyperlorodosis, spondylolisthesis, and arthritis of the spine

• Learn the anatomy of hyperkyphosis, hyperlorodosis, spondylolisthesis, and arthritis of the spine
• Identify these issues in your students
• Get a yoga practice for hyperkyphosis and hyperlodosis (+spondylolisthesis and arthritis)

WEEK 6: Core strength 

• Review working with a neutral spine
• Learn how to safely build your core strength to support your spine