Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “back pain”
I have been asked the following question about back pain doing postures. Here is my short general answer: QUESTION: I have difficulty breathing in when I drop back to a back arch (urdhva dhanurasana) from standing with my arms in the air (urdhva hastasana) as it aggravates my back pain. Can you suggest anything to help me? MY ANSWER: It …
Simon’s recent Online Workshops cover a range of helpful topics for improving your Yoga and teaching skills. His most recent workshop is on the topic of Back Pain Relief where you will learn the most common causes of back pain and how to manage it through intelligently applied exercise-based physiotherapy founded on the techniques of traditional hatha yoga. We also have a …
How to deal with three common problems faced when doing Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga: Three of the most common problems faced by people doing Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, and in fact most modern yoga, are problems with the knee, problems with the hamstrings and problems in the lower back. In this short presentation, I discuss some of the simple things you can …
A new Yoga Synergy Online Workshop. In this session, Simon Borg-Olivier, Co-Director of Yoga Synergy, will take you through some of the essential basics of yoga therapy. Watch the full session online. If you are sick or injured, we always recommend seeing a specialist, but sometimes, if you can’t get help elsewhere, you may need to help yourself with self-diagnosis …
Chest breathing can be extremely beneficially if done correctly but can also cause problems if done in a way that overstimulates the nervous system. Many people teach and practice to inhale into the chest, and to exhale from the lower abdomen, but clinical research using Real Time Ultrasound (RTU) has shown that about 90% of the average adult population cannot really breathe …
Here are ten great reminders for the day that have been shown to have a positive effect on your life. This is inspired by an article by Eric Barker but I have adapted it to be more inclusive of Yoga practitioners. 1. Get out in nature – bare feet on the earth if best and in the water if you …
by Simon Borg-Olivier In every day life many people do not get enough sideways movement and freedom. Sideways ‘stretches’ (spinal lateral flexion) are really important movements and postures, and are often understated and not practiced in many exercise, stretching and yoga classes. In this post we demonstrate a simple side stretch (Figure 1 and Figure 2) that can be simply …
by Simon Borg-Olivier Many people in Australia and around the world are now practicing postures and movements, similar to those seen in hatha yoga, on poles in ‘Pole dance’ studios and on hanging circus silks and rope inversion swings. I was fortunate enough to learn how to do yoga on poles and ropes two decades ago in India in the …
by Simon Borg-Olivier In this blog I want to discuss some points about Kundalini energy and Chakras. Much of the information available on the subject of Kundalini is esoteric and so not easy to justify with rational conventional science. I think the best explanation of the science of kundalini comes from Jana Dixon and her excellent book ‘The Biology of Kundalini”. …
Basic Spinal Movements In this blog I will be examining a sequence of postures done from a simple standing posture that in its simplest form involves moving the trunk and spine into its 8 main ‘pure’ positions. This is one of the most effective and accessible practices for anyone and can give tremendous release of back and other pain as …
