So many people say .... well you just have to learn to put up with pain!

 Or pain, especially back pain is just part of getting older ..... or back pain is just a part of the job!!

Well how wrong is that?

Do you really have to live with back pain? Or in fact any sort of severe pain?

Well I'd be naive to say that there is a cure or remedy for each and every pain that we, as humans, will encounter however a person can certainly do as much as possible to make life more comfortable.

Because it's just wrong to say you've got to just love all those irksome aches and pains you 'inevitably' acquire as you age.  I personally don't believe that anything is inevitable .... most if not all things stem from something we do or neglect to do. The point is that we do have a choice.

And that choice is to live as well as we possibly can...... and this is where yoga comes in. Yoga has many positions which can be utilized as back pain exercises.

Many people say facetiously " By the time you're 75, imagine what a blast it will be. My mum, dad, aunt ( you name it) is now about to turn 64 and she continuously complains of backaches. I have to admit that I certainly don't look forward to that."

Well if you don't look forward to lower back pain,upper back pain, or in fact any sort of  pain , whether severe or not, then do something about it!

Regardless of the standard pangs of aging, you definitely don't have to lie down and take it. And let's fact it, we start aging when we're born, there really is no age limitation on the experience of pain. There are ways to remedy these common afflictions. You simply have to know where to start.  But before going to the doctors, look to yoga  and what yoga can do to strengthen your back and stomach muscles.

Very often the cause of back pain is the type of lives we lead. Starting from the sedentary life of the office or workplace to the stay at home moms who are constantly lifting infants ... who let's face it are  ..... heavy!

Not only that if you work in a trade, lifting, bending, moving generally  .....

All these activities and countless more require you to utilize your muscles. Now very simplistically put, the spine is supported by the stomach and back muscles working in unison. If your stomach muscles are strong then that will help your posture as your lower back muscles don't need to do all the work to keep you standing straight ..... but  ...... as is often the case .... if you have really lousy stomach muscles you will find that your lower back needs to do all the work to keep your back in alignment.

Girls .... just as an aside .... just think on how you lift and carry your children? Isn't it right that you just bend over to pick them up rather than bending at the knees to do so .... and don't you then just prop them on your hip which you jut out so that they can sit on it.  And I'm pretty certain you also walk around with your hip jutted out in that fashion carrying your children.  Not only are you curving the spine but unless you have very strong stomach muscles you're really hurting your lower back The human body wasn't designed to walk around in the shape of an "S".

Just try for instance these yoga poses at home and see if that doesn't give you a back pain cure that you can do easily without spending a great deal of money looking for back pain treatments when, really you need to deal with the cause. And the cause is often, now not always, weak stomach muscles. But lower back pain can be alleviated if not cured in full and there is  no reason why anyone should spend there time suffering.

Cat pose

1. Start on the ground. Hands and knees on your mat, make certain your knees are under your hips and that your hands are directly under your shoulders.  Your head, neck and spine should be parallel to the ground.
2. Arch your back by dropping your stomach (belly button) towards the ground and lifting your tailbone. You will feel your buttocks (your sitting bones) spread. Don't arch your head back instead try and lengthen through your crown. As if someone was pulling you gently by the head. ( You should feel and welcome stretching sensation through the lower back as if relieving pressure)
3. Then tuck your chin in and round your spine up towards the ceiling, pulling your belly button in towards the spine. You will feel your buttocks contacting. As your spine arches towards the ceiling it will feel as if your vertebrae are  stretching out.
4. Repeat these steps by hollowing out and curving your spine ... say three times. Take your time and enjoy the stretch. If you can bear the feeling hold each of steps 2 and 3 for some 10 seconds.

What this pose does for the back is:

• it improves movement through your spine, hips and shoulders and releases pent up tensions.
• it improves the blood flow to  your spine and spinal nerves.
• it strengthens, tones and stretches your abdomen and spine
• it improves spinal flexibility.

Hare pose

1. After having done the cat pose move your buttocks back to your heels. Make certain that you keep your spine rounded. Your hands are still on the ground no more than shoulder distance apart. Tuck your chin into your chest and keep your hands stationary.
2. Try not to drop your abdomen on to your thighs bit keep it lifted. Hold this stretch for 10 seconds.
3. If you wish you can put this pose in directly after each cat pose  so that you flow into the hare pose and stretch back before moving back into the cat pose.

What this pose does  for the back is:

• it stretches your lower back muscles.
• it relaxes your sciatic nerves

Lizard pose

1. From the hare pose you can go into the lizard  pose. You may want to do it at the end. Slide your hands forward from the hare pose until your thighs are at right angles to the ground. So your kneeling yet your hands are stretched out in front of you, shoulder distance apart.
2. Rest your forehead on the ground and gently lower your upper chest towards the ground
3. Relax your shoulders and hold this stretch for some 15 seconds.

What this pose does for your pack is:

• it exercises and strengthens and tones your entire back, especially your nerves and muscles
• it relieves backache and fatigue.

So before you head off to the doctor for a general once over .... and if you know that the pain hasn't been caused by a specific injury .... try attending some yoga classes. You'll be amazed what a difference it'll make in a short period of time

 With the right type of joint, hip, neck, or lower back pain treatment, you can be back to your old self again .... and  the practice of yoga can help in all these instances.

Now, if yoga doesn't provide you with relief, you will need to look further. But take action.

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