13th Day of 29: Healing Help for Back Pain January 10, 2012

It is about 6:30 p.m. and I am getting ready to start teaching Yoga.  I love to share this ancient form of exercise with as many as possible.  Yoga is a union between mind, body and soul.  For an hour you can relax your mind and be in tune with your body and soul.  This little period to devote to yourself and refresh your whole body for the week ahead.

Between 6:45 and 6:50, the students start to walk in and settle into their sacred space where they will practice for the next hour.  I love the time before class begins because we all get to communicate and ask how each other is doing and what exciting things took place over the weekend.

This specific class consisted of three and all of them had a little hardship that was interrupting their usual state of happiness.  One student was tired from restless sleep, another was not feeling well and the third had pulled her back and I could tell was in much pain. 

I have to give them all a generous amount of applause because even though they had these troubles, they still attended class knowing that Yoga is beneficial.

Today’s class was focused on stretching and strengthening the body.  Before I begin I always instruct the students that if at any time they are not able to do the postures, rest and come back when you feel ready. 

The student with the back pain was trying to keep up because she had said that maybe if she performs some of the postures, her muscles will loosen up and she will be able to move more comfortably. 

We made it through the class, and I noticed that she still had pain.  I asked her if she had any thing at home to rub on her muscles for pain and she said “no, I will be okay.”  Well I know how back pain is sometimes when you move your back just the wrong way can cause pain. 

I wanted to help her, so I gave her the Zim’s  Freeze that I had ( it is a topical gel for pain).  I told her it does not smell that great, but it will work. 

So, I am going to check how she is doing.  Hopefully she is better, because I hate to see people in pain.

Peace, love and light to everyone!

Massage Beats Meds for Back Pain December 22, 2011

A new study group conducted by the Group Health Research Institute of Seattle suggests that massage therapy may be better than conventional medicine alone for easing lower back pain.  Researchers recruited 401 patients with chronic back pain and found that those receiving a series of either relaxation or structural massage spent fewer days in bed and were more active than those receiving “usual medical care”, ranging from painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants to physical therapy.

Lead study author Daniel Cherkin, director of the institute, concluded:  “If you’re having continuing problems with back pain, even after trying usual medical care, massage may be a good thing to do.  I think the results are pretty strong.”

Funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.