Good posture is intimately related to good function, which is the basis of a healthy, supple, and strong spine that can flex, twist, and extend.

Prolonged sitting or other repeated activities, combined with poor postural habits, can cause the spine to collapse on itself, loose muscle tone and resilience, and become compressed. Muscular imbalance from any repetitive activity or lack of activity tends to create restriction in the movement of the hips, shoulders, and spine.

Research shows that when movement is lost, the bones no longer receive the stimulation necessary to remain strong, and bone density begins to decrease. In addition, the shortening of the spine over time causes joint spaces and discs to become narrow, further reducing movement, which can result in back pain and diminished breath.

The key to a more upright and stable spine is a yoga sequence that:

1. Creates optimal balance between opposing muscle groups

2. Progressively extends and opens the spine to overcome spinal compression and collapse

Noted back pain specialist, yoga teacher, and author of Healing Our Backs with Yoga, Lillah Schwartz has put together several sequences that prepare the body to progressively and safely extend and tone the spine in order to move into backward bending poses.

These spinal extension poses can help build bone density, reduce back pain, and lead to effortless upright posture—the cornerstones of a fully functioning spine. However, progressing students safely through this category of back bending yoga poses can be challenging for many teachers and tends to be avoided in general classes and thus in personal home practice.

In this three-hour course, Lillah will help you as a student or yoga teacher to safely introduce spinal extensions, aka, foundational backbends, into your practice.

What You Will Learn

• Why and how a progressive approach to spinal extension is key to a healthy spine
• The primary anatomical restrictions that compromise good posture
• Why opening up the hips and shoulders, along with the spine, is essential to prepare the body to safely experience the benefits of backbending poses
• Yoga sequences to systematically and gently make your spine supple
• How to use opposing actions in yoga poses to improve bone health
• Pose sequences to extend the spine and relieve back pain without strain
• Adaptations for students in a mixed-level class

The course includes four 30-minute practice modules to help you understand and apply yoga poses to release and progressively extend your spine for better posture, bone health, back pain relief, and strength.

• Practice 1: Primary areas of postural restriction and their remedies
• Practice 2: Pose sequence to extend the spine and relieve back pain without strain
• Practice 3: Applied principles of opposition to extend and tone the spine
• Practice 4: Moving On—Deeper spinal extensions to build bone density and strength
  
  

Take a Sneak Peek at Lillah's Course:​​