Muscle Group: Back

Downward dog: the foundational yoga pose. The pose that is supposed to "reset everything." The pose that feels so good to practice when you wake up.

We have heard it before: pull your shoulders down and back for the best posture. For some people, however, especially those with "sloped" shoulders, this can aggravate neck tension and may even cause tingling down into the arms.

Sitting well is not complicated. It requires common sense and some intuition. When you sit well, your back feels good because your vertebrae have adequate space and circulation. Your breath is slow because your diaphragm elevates and depresses without restriction. Your neck and head feel level and without tension. You are able to concentrate because your eyes are not straining.

The stress and activities of our industrialized world have not been kind to our bodies. Slouching over the computer all day leads to difficulty straightening up. Lifting, pushing and pulling with poor body mechanics leads to lower back wear and tear.

Back pain is the result of too much movement in the spine relative to the surrounding areas. It can be from too much flexion (forward bending), too much extension (backward bending), or too much rotation during our everyday lives. Yoga can decrease your back pain if you learn to perform the poses in a way that promotes _stability_ of the spine. Doing the poses the wrong way can contribute to hypermobility and pain.