Photo via cognitive.distortion on Flickr.
Recently I received an email from a reader who was wondering about how to do Bikram yoga while dealing with back and neck pain. Since I can totally relate, I thought I'd share a little post about recommendations from some of my teachers, plus a bit from The Boss himself!
Here are some basic tips to keep in mind:
- Always speak with a teacher in person for the best advice. Don't be scared to ask; instructors are there to help! Be specific about your pain and be honest about prior injury, too.
- Only practice with a certified Bikram instructor and always consult your doctor if you are unsure whether you should be practicing.
- Be careful, move slowly, and stop if you experience sharp pain. Don't hurt yourself by going too far just because you see yogis around you advancing in the posture.
- The right way is the hard way!
- Lengthen the spine before bending it.
- Follow the dialogue! Listen for steps and be sure to do them in the right order. For example, in Padahastasana you bring your upper body to the thighs before you lock the knees. In Separate Leg Stretching, you empty the stomach and suck it in before you stretch.
Photo via Prana.
Try the right way and do the best you can. It may be uncomfortable and that's OK.
From Nancy at 105 Yoga in Oak Park, Chicago: It's hard to assess pain for a person I haven't seen or talked to. Your best bet is to talk to your teacher in person and tell them exactly where you feel pain.
Sometimes you get a stiff neck from sleeping wrong or tweaking it somehow, in which case, Pranayama is awesome. It will hurt and be uncomfortable but it should feel better after the breathing and definitely after class. If this is something that is bothering you every time you do Pranayama, you might be doing it wrong. If you've just started practicing, you might not be used to moving your head and neck that way. If you've been practicing for a while, you might be doing it wrong.
With all of the above said, if it's painful, definitely back off a bit. But I would really encourage you to speak with your teachers about any pain and in order to make sure you're doing postures the right way. Photo via Good Luck Cleo on Flickr.
who's also a massage therapist and owner of Omai Bodyworks:
What to do when you're experiencing discomfort depends on the quality of pain, and if you have any previous injuries. If you have some sort of osteo-arthritis or disk degeneration I would say to only go back in backbends and Pranayama to the point of pain (or keep your head upright if you can't move it backwards at all).
If there's no previous stuff going on, my recommendation would be to try to focus on lengthening up before tilting the head back in Pranayama. A lot of people just drop the head back, which crunches the vertebrae, and it's important to never do that (in any posture). It is all about lengthening first, and then moving.
Also, make sure the shoulders are relaxed away from the ears, as hunching the shoulders puts a lot of undue stress on the neck/shoulder/upper back region. If you are able to move the head backwards, even a little bit, you should focus on really squeezing the elbows together in front of the body (to increase the space between her shoulderblades on the backside of the body).
Especially when you first start doing the yoga, the body hurts as it is opening and adjusting to the postures. The body will follow the path of least resistance, and a lot of these movements are completely foreign to a lot of people, so it can be painful in the beginning... The body will fight initially. But the right way is the hard way :)
Photo via Prana.
Beginning with Half Moon, my series of exercises is designed to make your shocked and shriveled spine work to both sides, to the back, and then to the front. Only by exercising in all directions can your spine be healthy; and only with a healthy spine can you have a healthy nervous system.
If your chronic problem is something such as sciatic pain, lumbago, sore back muscles, whiplash, vertebrae out of line, shoulder trouble, radiating pains down the arms, tension headaches, swayback, spinal curvature, pinched nerves, or "something not quite right that the doctor said I ought to watch," stop watching. Act! Get to work on these exercises. Even those who have had spinal surgery should get to work--with their doctor's okay and a qualified teacher who can lead them in my particular series of exercises.
People with slipped disc are often in such pain that Yoga seems further torture. However, in numerous slipped disc cases, determined yoga can save the day. So endure the pain. But please note that those with slipped disc should also work under the supervision of a qualified instructor using my exact series of exercises and the safety rules laid down in the dialogue, in my book, and on my website.
Photo via Thanaruth Phomveha on Flickr.
Please follow the instructions carefully when you are doing forward bends. For example, in the half moon (Padahastasana series), the instructions are to bring your torso on your thighs, chest to the knees, no light space anywhere between the torso and the thighs. If you try to straighten your legs without having this first part accomplished, you can create pain in your lower back. Also keep in mind the instruction "360 degrees stretching." What that means is to make the stretch even throughout the whole back side of the body.
You also want to follow these guidelines in separate leg stretching. Bikram says, "Suck in your stomach and bend your upper body down from your lower spine towards the floor." It is difficult to suck in your stomach unless you exhale, so make sure to exhale as you fold forward. When you suck in your stomach, it supports the whole pelvis to roll forwards with the rest of your spine--this eliminates strain in the lower back.
Working carefully, mindfully, allowing your breath to flow with your movement will help you to gradually deepen your experience of the postures.
If you have more questions or comments, please include them below. Namaste!
