If there was only one yoga pose you could do anytime, anywhere to release pain, stress and compression in your spine, I would recommend this variation of wide leg forward fold.
So let me tell you a funny story.
About 10 years ago I went to the doctor for my annual physical.
I was the first patient of the morning.
Sitting in the doctor’s examining room decked out in that paper shirt they give you to wear, I noticed the nurse as she walked into the room.
From decades of experience teaching yoga I could tell she was in horrible pain.
“Does your back hurt?” said I, the patient, to the nurse.
“Yes, it’s been killing me for several days now,” she replied.
“I’m a yoga teacher,” I said to the nurse.
“May I help you?”
She was in so much pain she admitted she could barely walk.
I instructed her to put her hands on the examining table and do this variation of wide leg forward fold.
Unsure but desperate, she followed my instructions.
I encouraged her to hold the pose and keep lengthening her spine to release the compression.
By the time the doctor walked in the room to examine me, the nurse was out of pain.
The doctor gave me my visit for free!
The moral of the story is if you have your body and can put your hands on a table, bed or other stable piece of furniture, you can release your back pain anytime, anywhere using this version of wide leg forward fold.
Here’s how to do this pose:
Wide Leg Forward Fold
Directions:
- Stand in front of a bed, chair or table.
- Bring your feet wide apart – so wide that if you had your arms straight out from your body your ankles would be directly under your wrists.
- Turn your feet in as if you were pigeon toed.
- Press down on the outside edge of your legs as you pull upwards on the inside edge of your legs.
- Put your thumbs in your goins and fold at the hips, placing both hands on the bed, chair or table in front of you.
- Tilt your tailbone upwards as you pull your belly towards your spine.
- Keep your arms as straight as possible.
- Hold 1 minute as you lengthen your spine.
Benefits:
- Unlocks your sacroiliac joint.
- Relieves back pain.
- Relaxes your spine.
- Creates space between your vertebrae to traction your spine gently.
- Brings your spine into alignment.
Caution:
- Be sure to breathe deeply and relax!
Why does this work so quickly and efficiently – a natural healing remedy for back pain that requires no steroid injections, chiropractic adjustments, oxycontin or other potentially deadly pain drugs, MRIs, X-rays or orthopedic visits?
Any time you have pain in your spine, there’s some degree of compression.
The opposite of compression is lengthening.
This pose tractions your spine, creating space for the discs and nerves to flow freely.
Of course, there’s a lot more you can do to relieve back pain naturally. I can teach you all about that!
This variation of wide leg forward fold is just one of my favorite 41 pain-relieving exercises I illustrate and describe in my Amazon number one best-selling book The Difference Between Pain and Suffering.
The Difference Between Pain and Suffering by Catherine Carrigan, available in paperback, ebook and audiobook
The Difference Between Pain and Suffering is a complete handbook for hope and healing for pain relief without drugs.
Written by medical intuitive healer Catherine Carrigan, this book outlines tips you can follow to restore your health naturally. Drug overdose is now the No. 1 cause of death for Americans under the age of 50.
Learn how to feel good without opioids or over-the-counter medication.
Your Physical Body: Learn how to heal pain through nutrition, yoga, posture exercise, restorative movement, juices and smoothies and food healing.
Your Energy Body: Take advantage of the hidden secrets of your chakras, energy healing, Reiki, balancing your acupuncture meridians and breathing exercises.
Your Emotional Body: Release the emotional stress behind your suffering, overcome your broken heart, understand the messages from your body and let go of the payoffs for chronic pain.
Your Mental Body: Change your story to think like a rich and healthy person.
Your Spiritual Body: Raise your vibration past pain and suffering and learn how to comfort others when all you have to give is love. This book includes an appendix with 41 therapeutic yoga exercises, charts and directions on how to balance your own acupuncture meridians and recipes for radiant health.
If you want to understand what’s going on with your back, suffering from pain and want to feel better, make an appointment today by emailing catherine@catherinecarrigan.com or calling 678-612-8816 to find out how you can heal yourself naturally.
I work with clients all over the world and can explain to you what’s happening and what you can do to make yourself feel better.
Currently, at age 62 I still teach seven yoga classes a week (four online classes via Zoom and three at a private club in Atlanta and have 26 years years of experience teaching yoga.
On Thursdays I teach a therapeutic yoga class from 11 a.m. EST to 12:30 p.m. EST for $20 per person. Please email me to discuss your condition and you and I can decide whether you are a good candidate for the class or whether you need private lessons.
You can learn more about yoga by watching instructional videos on my Yoga with Catherine Carrigan playlist on Youtube at this link.
To view a routine I have created for scoliosis clients, watch the Scoliosis Back Care Routine playlist on Youtube at this link.