Are you crazy to move when your back hurts? Maybe not…

Friday, I woke up and groaned. The really stiff and sore lower back I’d had for 4 days was even worse.

No real reason as to why. No new injury. Nothing unusual.

But my first class of a new yoga group run by one of my favourite teachers was starting. Should I go? Should I pass? What if I went but just took it really easy?

I always advise my clients to trust their instincts, but I honestly didn’t know what to do for myself.

So I decided. And I went. Sitting on our mats, I felt the beauty of being in a space and with people whom you respect and feel perfectly safe. These 8 have my back today.

Breathing in – I will try everything GENTLY as I normally do.
Breathing out – I will listen and respect where my body is right now.
Breathing in – I will pull back if I need to.
Breathing out – I will not quit, but modify.

I ‘pulled up out of my lower back’, as I always do, in Cobra. And the relief was immense! The smile on my face said it all to my teacher. And then I got it. I mean REALLY… GOT… IT.

Form, technique is HUGE.

For 19 years, I’ve always tried diligently to choose the best way for me in a pose, intellectually understanding why it was important, but it had never translated to my body.

Today, I FELT it, I KNEW it so deeply.

And I would NEVER have experienced that gift without also knowing the frustration of a low back challenge.

So why was it the best yoga class of my life, you wonder?
Because I had decided it would be before I even went.

No expectations.

Try everthing gently as normal first.

Forcing yourself is NEVER ok.

Don’t quit, modify safely instead.

It’s ok to listen to your challenges, it’s ok to let them teach you… and still rock a passable Crow Pose.

This is awesome!

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