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Scoliosis can cause back pain and many other health problems, including shallow breathing, sciatica, headaches, and even insomnia. Yoga not only brings relief but can also help you accept and embrace the body you're in.

By Elise Miller

Lengthen, Strengthen, De-rotate

In addition to finding your alignment in Tadasana, you'll need to practice poses that enable you to maintain it in your everyday life. A well-balanced practice for scoliosis should include poses that lengthen your spine, poses that stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak muscles, and poses that help counteract the rotation in the spine and rib cage.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) is the ultimate spine-lengthening pose. Imagine how good a dog feels when it spontaneously does this stretch. That's the feeling you want to create in your Downward Dog. If your hamstrings are tight, a great alternative is Puppy Pose.

The next thing to work on is building strength. I emphasize this with my teenage students because they're often still growing and their joints are very flexible. Locust Pose and its variations strengthen the muscles in the upper back that surround the vertebrae and can perhaps prevent the scoliosis from progressing. I also find that menopausal women who've experienced muscle loss need to bolster their strength. In addition to the upper-back work, I encourage all of my students to consistently practice standing poses to strengthen their legs. Try incorporating poses such as Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose), Virabhadrasana I (Warrior Pose I), and Virabhadrasana II (Warrior Pose II) into your practice. Virabhadrasana I is therapeutic for two reasons: It strengthens the back, and it stretches the psoas muscle. When you lift your arms overhead in the pose, draw your tailbone toward the floor and imagine lifting your torso out of your pelvis to stretch your psoas.

Since scoliosis rotates the spine, I incorporate poses that actively de-rotate it. Doing simple twists such as Chair Pose can be effective if you work correctly. Remember that your spine is asymmetrical, so the way you approach the pose will be different from one side to the other.

You Are Unique

One day as I was looking out the window, I saw a group of beautiful palm trees reaching straight up toward the sky. It dawned on me then that an oak tree, with its many twists and turns, can be just as beautiful. As one of my students, Jeanie Schwab, told me, "Not only have I relieved my pain, but I no longer compare myself to all those other people out there with perfect spines. I've learned to accept my body the way it is, but at the same time be open to change." This acceptance is the final tool that I try to convey to my students. Every time you begin your yoga practice, remind yourself that the goal is not to find perfection, but to find your own optimal alignment and center.

I believe that having scoliosis was a blessing in disguise. It brought me to my life's biggest passion—yoga. It forced me to find more balance not only in my spine but in my whole life. My student Dee agrees. "My pain is now my inspiration. It reminds me to sit up and pay attention to what's going on in my life," she says. "So lately, I've been thanking the pain, too."

Elise Miller has been teaching Iyengar Yoga with a focus on back care for more than 25 years and is the founding director of California Yoga Center in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California. Her DVD Yoga for Scoliosis is available at yogaforscoliosis.com. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

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