Have Low Back Pain?
Yoga and massage are the perfect formula to relieve low back pain. Do some lunge stretches, to open the hip flexors (fronts of the hips). Long stride walking can really help too! Professional massages by an experienced therapist can really get you back to feeling pain free.
The Psoas is the main hip flexor, a deep abdominal muscle that sits just in front of your spine. It actually has strands of the muscle that attach onto each vertebrae from T12 - L5, then crosses over the hip joint and attaches onto the inside of the upper femur (thigh bone). When the psoas gets shortened, weakened, or in spasm, it can pull the vertebrae it is attached to out of alignment creating low back pain. Computer lovers that sit for the majority of the day, as well as, those that travel a lot tend to be prime candidates for low back pain. "If you sit all day, you form that way." Low back pain can often result from lifting heavy objects without proper body alignment, or lifting while twisting.
The great thing is that it can usually be easily reversed through stretching and massage. When you open up the hip flexors (psoas), you can reverse the effects of the seated position. You have to do it enough in relation to how much time you are staying in the seated position. Once a week stretching, while sitting in front of the computer 11 hours a day will not do the job.
Stretching the hip flexors will keep your psoas long, flexible, and in better balance. Therefore, it won't get into a state where it will pull your vertebrae out of place.
If you are in severe pain, or the stretches don't seem to be creating enough relief, massage by an experienced therapist is in order. Depending on your daily activities and the state of your body, it may take several sessions to get your body back to a place of ease. The therapist needs to work on the psoas to get it out of spasm and balanced out with the other side. This can be done with massage to the abdomen, stretching the legs, and energy therapy.
Check out our online yoga studio @ http://www.ThePostureProjectYoga.com/ to get to stretching!
Yoga and Massage are great ways to maintain healthy, vibrant bodies and minds!
A long, flexible psoas is a happy one! Enjoy your health!
Shalan Hill, co-owner of The Posture Project, is a Licensed and Certified Massage Therapist (CMT & LMT) and a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).
Shalan began her study of yoga in 1998 and has been teaching since 2001 in the Woodstock area. She has trained in the Hatha Yoga (traditional) style with focus on Pranayama (breathing techniques to promote energy movement and balance). She completed her credentials and studies for her 200 hr. Yoga Alliance training. She continues her yoga training weekly to gain more insight and options for her students. An experienced teacher, Shalan has been focused mainly on teaching yoga to beginners. Shalan intuitively promotes a gentle style of yoga that connects in with the energy of the group. Her mission is to help you find what your body CAN do as a starting place and to utilize your breath, your inner vision, and to stretch and strengthen body, mind, and spirit without force. In 2009, she and her partner, Ann Pauley, started The Posture Project's Online Yoga Studio that offers a variety of yoga video classes available online @ www.ThePostureProjectYoga.com.
Shalan graduated from The Academy of Somatic Healing Arts (ASHA) massage school in Norcross, GA in 2000 with certificates in Neuromuscular Therapy, Sports Therapy, and Swedish Massage. She has worked with chiropractors and has experience with massage in spa and yoga settings. She specializes in working with the subtle energies of the body through CranioSacral Therapy, Reiki, and Energy Balancing. Shalan also excels in Myofascial Release, Postural Balancing, and pain relief. Shalan saw the value of combining massage and yoga to help people achieve and maintain greater balance and health in their life and was inspired to open The Posture Project with her partner, Ann Pauley, also a Massage & Yoga Professional.