4
Jun
2019
YOGA FOR LOWER BACK AND SACRUM STABILITY- SHARE YOUR OPINION!
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Comments19
How does this series feel? Ask questions and share comments about the course.
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I liked the windshield wiper knees inward. Haven’t done that one before. 🙂
Cool! I hope that you find some other new and interesting moves 🙂
Hello Olga, thank you for this course. You have helped me identify a long-felt sacroiliac joint issue and these exercises are challenging and helpful. I am having the most difficulty with the breathing in/releasing and breathing out/contracting. I am so used to releasing on an exhale, rather than contracting/engaging that it’s a real struggle to reverse course, though no doubt it is a useful practice.. Can you explain a little more about this method? Again, thanks.
Hi Mindy, thank you for your comment and glad to hear that your back is responding well to the course. Yes, the way we breath in those practices is very important because the progressive abdominal contraction we initiate with every exhalation facilities additional abdominal support that is essential for your back. I wrote couple of blog posts in the past on that subject that explain why we do it this way in viniyoga tradition – I think you might find them useful. This one deals with directionality of the breath (chest to belly or belly to chest and why), and… Read more »
Class #3 lower back/sacrum stability. Prone # 7 cobra/bending 1 knee pose always cramps my hamstrings when I do this class in the morning before the body is warm. However, if I’ve gone for a walk it doesn’t cramp. Little warm up even if it’s just marching in place? Most classes my body needs a good 5 min warm up before doing this kind of class. Thoughts?
My SIJ + Sacrum liked this class as I overstretched my right SIJ ligaments years ago doing lots of vinyasa yoga that focused on “stretch” more than stability.
Hi! It’s not uncommon to get a cramp in your hamstrings in this particular pose. Sounds like you found a way to minimize it with little movement before the practice – this is a great idea. Some simple movement like walking is a good thing to do either before or after those practices. And I am glad to hear that your sacrum is responding favorably to this practice!
Dear Olga, I have got a lower back discomfort for 1 year now, probably due to lift up my grandchildren the wrong way, and going lower in the asanas without core strength. I am very glad to have found your serie for lower back and sacrum stability, and I felt great up to now. But I find the week 5 video hard. My lower back does like the planks. And with Prasarita Padottasana, I used to go very low. I think I have “traumatized” my back, because now I feel the muscles connected to my sacrum and my SI joints… Read more »
Hi Natalie! I hear you about Prasarita Padottanasana and sounds like your body is not quite ready for it. Wide-legged poses in general can be tricky for hot sacrums simply because of feet positioning. We are trying to remedy it here by keeping the toes pointing in so that your thigh bones turn in more. Please make sure that this is happening. I would recommend that you approach this pose very gradually and gently. You can begin by bringing your feet wide apart, turning the toes slightly in and putting your hands either on the back of the chair or… Read more »
Dear Olga, Thank you so much for taking time to answer me. I feel much better now and I am very grateful for this Lower Back and Sacrum Serie. My back is not like it used to be and will probably never will as I am going towards my 60. But my injury has brought more wisdom in my practice, I no longer focus of how an asana looks like, but how it feels in my body, even if I have to wider/shorter my stand. Interestingly, when I talked about it to a lovely Iyengar teacher, she said that then,… Read more »
Thank you for your comment Nathalie! I am so glad to hear that your practice is evolving as your body continues to change. Change happens for all of us, and we can either fight it or direct it. To me, the best gift yoga has to offer is to help us affect the direction of change. And yes, in my tradition we don’t care what the pose looks like as long as it’s serving its purpose and you are safe in it. At the end of the day it is always about you, the practitioner, using yoga poses for your… Read more »
Hello Olga #5 from Lower back series was very challenging. My ? in viminasana you bend your knees slightly I’ve always done with straight legs, should I slightly bend my knees? When I do my external rotators tend to take over the movement.
These 2 series are worth so much than you charged + for that I THANK YOU! namaste
Hi Virginia! Is it all the plank variations that you find challenging in Week 5? The goal here is to strengthen relationships between different muscles and the core. Please approach it carefully – start with 2-3 repetitions, you can move on to more later. Please do not bend your knees in Vimanasana. I feel like I keep my legs straight in it, but I know that sometimes they look slightly bent 🙂 It’s better to keep the legs closer to the ground if it feels too challenging. I am so happy to hear that those series are meaningful to you!
Thank you, Olga, I’ll keep my legs straight in vimanasana. The criss/cross plank was hard for me, regular planks easy BUT plank w/knees hover a bit above the floor hard! My upper body strength needs work.
Week 6 Low back/Sacrum Stability.
In Viminasana you bend you knees when you lift + spread them apart is that intentional?
OR should legs be straight?
Great + challenging practice, really get to experience my weakness in certain poses (instead of me “flowing” thru them in a vinyasa flow class)
in Vimanasana we are trying to see the legs as straight as we can, even though sometimes it might look like the knees are slightly bent. And thank you, this is exactly the point – to zoom in on weaker/imbalanced areas and “bring them up to speed” with everything else, so to speak 🙂
I just completed week 3 and I’m really enjoying this program. The focused movements help me target the correct muscles. I noticed I frequently and automatically grip my hip flexors, especially during any leg and hip raise/lower movements. I think I’m compensating for a weakness somewhere else. What should I work on to correct this?
Hi Liza! I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the series. The “gripping” in the hip flexors is not unusual and can be both a compensation pattern or a habit. If it’s a habit, you can try to remind yourself to “engage not tense” when you are doing the movement. If it’s a compensation pattern, you can keep an eye on your hip flexors and try to relax them when you are doing movements that other muscles should be leading on (any time you move the leg out, in or back). The best way to break that “gripping”… Read more »
Hello Olga, I hope that you are doing good despite the unusual circumstances that we all have to deal with. I just would like to let you know that my lower back is getting much better since I am doing the videos of this serie. I also work on strengthening it with exercises from my physio, but as soon as my back feels tight, I feel immediate relief when I come back to you. The movements you teach and/or the way to teach them (by focusing on the sensation and the activation of the muscles) makes all the difference. I… Read more »
Hi Nathalie, it’s so lovely to hear from you! I am glad to hear that this series is still working for you. I hope that you are staying well and safe at this time.