Foundations of a Healthy Back

Almost everyone at some point in their lives will suffer from back pain which the World Health Organisation calls the “leading cause of disability worldwide . . . and the condition for which the greatest number of people may benefit from rehabilitation.” But what about prevention, and how can an intelligent yoga practice balance and strengthen your back? How does the health and mobility of the whole body contribute to a sense of ease, graceful posture, and practical mobility of the spine? And why do more traditional approaches to back care so often fail to reap results?

Donna began her formal yoga training just as her dance career was ending because of debilitating neck and lower back pain. In the decades that followed she discovered that most approaches to back care fail because they view the spine as an isolated entity, when in fact spinal health begins from the ground up; with balanced feet, strong legs, mobile hips and the ability to move with pure iliofemoral motion that reduces pull on the lumbar spine. Strong core muscles and stable sacroiliac joints supporting an upright pelvic position set the stage for the spine to rise effortlessly leading to graceful posture and good body mechanics.

In this intensive Donna will help you to understand the structure of your vertebral column and its intimate relationship to the rest of the body. This can help you to orient your yoga practice in a direction that not only leads to a pain-free back but also to a sense of wholeness and integration throughout your body. You can achieve amazing results for yourself (and your students) with gentle practices that can have surprisingly powerful effects!

To help you become your own back expert, Donna will share detailed anatomical PowerPoint presentations. She is renowned for being able to communicate complex concepts in simple, accessible language that can create a bridge between theory and practice. She will also elaborate on many of the common “alignment cues” that have perpetuated misinformation and injury within the yoga community, offering alternatives that reflect how the body works.

This workshop is for anyone who has been practicing Yoga consistently for at least a year and is especially recommended for teachers working with others. The focus of this workshop is on creating spinal health through integrated movement throughout the whole body. Those with spinal problems accompanied by mild chronic pain who are already receiving ongoing Yoga instruction are welcome to attend but this workshop is not suitable for those with acute back pain. While Donna will make every effort to help individuals with specific spinal problems participants need to respect the limits of what can be attained within a group class in a short period of time as contrasted to ongoing one-on-one Yoga therapy.