Back Pain in Savasana

Hi Adanma

Yes, thank you for your question and for your feedback. Robert and I will soon release a recording with answers to the many unanswered webinar questions.

You mention that your discomfort is really after your backbends which I assume are Fixed Firm and Camel. It is often the case that students find it hard to get down into their Savasana after these particular poses. The intensity of the backbends and sometimes due to the long holding sometimes has students flopping into a forward bend. It feels good but this is really not a good thing to do. It goes against the idea of re-establishing blood flow and simply going to a spine-neutral position to fully benefit.

What usually happens is they have great trouble getting out of the bend and getting to lie on their backs. It can take a long time and they feel rushed because after all they don’t have much time to benefit. So the movements end up not being economical and then the rest for the back is not long enough because the student feels compelled to join in the sit-up.

There are 2 things I can suggest you experiment with. One is to check into your arms when you lie down. Roll your shoulder blades underneath you – shimmy then under you so that they are flat on the ground. This will externally rotate the arms and lift your chest and naturally allow more ease of breathing. This may help you transform your breathing in this pose. Check out my video on Effective Breathing In Hot Yoga in the free videos section for more hints.

Here’s the other idea: I have had this exact problem surface a couple of times in my own practice and in many students. This works wonders for students with acute back pain and those for whom a sit-up is impossible (even if the inability to do the sit-up is just after those 2 poses). So it helps them avoid the fumbling around getting to the floor and then off the floor. It is a nice controlled movement that is very satisfying, restorative and nurturing.

So try this. Come out of your pose correctly, avoid a forward slump. Now you are sitting up bring your toes together and your knees widely apart. Bring your your hands in front of you palms on the floor shoulder width apart and lower your straight back down so that your torso is now between your knees and your forehead is on the floor. Now bring your arms in a curve outside of your knees trailing on the floor hands behind you, palms up. If you are able to, get your ear to the floor (alternate for the sides) but it’s fine to keep your neck in a neutral position if you have to.

You will have MAXIMUM time resting your back and not introducing any unnecessary movement to get yourself to the floor. At the end of the Savasana, bring your forehead to the floor, hands under the shoulders and push yourself up. Only do this when you feel it absolutely necessary. In all other cases join everyone else on the floor on your back as usual.

Let me know if that answers your question.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

Hi Hannah

Sure that will help. The issue that I was trying to highlight is the action of getting TO the floor and then moving FROM the floor because often the cause of the problem is rarely where the problem shows up.

For example if you have a very weak core strength, you might find that your back protests sometimes. What is risky are the transitions between floor poses. Your back may hurt after a pose and then you try to do a sit-up and you put yourself out of action. Or the limited time means the rushing has your focus being a little split so that your attention could be on getting to join your classmates and not on if your core is activated or indeed whether you should skip the sit-up at all, or also if you practice an alternative to the sit-up that doesn’t serve to fix the problem.

So yes, there are multiple ways to soothe a sore back while you are on the floor. The trick is working out what will remove the cause.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂