Watch Your Back

When it comes to back pain, this gentle approach is best.

By Hillari Dowdle

Back Off the Mat

Emily Large, Terri Stoecker's yoga teacher, has her own theory about how and why yoga works so well. Large, who is a physical therapist and certified Viniyoga therapist practicing in West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Atlanta, transformed her physical therapy practice when she started adding yoga into the mix. "Yoga provides people with a tool for self-discovery," she says. "The postures, combined with the breathwork and meditative qualities of the movement, lead to self-awareness in the body. The repetitive movements that are unique in Viniyoga warm the body and increase circulation, which is important in healing. They also break poor movement patterns and introduce healthy ones."

"Overall," concludes Large, "it's a more holistic approach to rehabilitation. It lets people heal themselves. When you learn healthy habits in yoga, it carries over into your daily life."

Stoecker believes that the techniques she has learned in Large's class have allowed her to return to her active lifestyle. "You can let your back control you and change your life into something sedentary and painful, or you can find something that can keep you healthy and get you back to 95 percent normal. I was told I would never run or garden again. Now I can do those things. I have to be careful, I have to take care of myself, but I live my life. Yoga has done that for me."

This assessment makes Kraftsow a very happy man—it is the perfect realization of his intention. "It's important to remember that the study of yoga is not about anything external to you," he says. "It's about studying yourself and learning tools to reduce the undesirable things in your life, like back pain, and increase the positive things, like happiness. It's about refining yourself at all levels."

"We're not talking about fancy yoga or power yoga here," he adds. "You don't need an hour-long class or a special outfit or a fancy mat to do this. This practice is available to everybody. You can learn it easily and use it to feel better and really begin to manage your condition." Try it for yourself.

Hillari Dowdle healed her own lower back pain with Viniyoga after an injury in 2002. Today she writes and practices (practically) pain free in Knoxville, Tennessee.

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