Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve wrote about yoga for back pain and even longer since I’ve mentioned how much yoga has helped with my scoliosis. I’m a veteran of many rounds of physical therapy to help me heal and strengthen my back. The funny thing about physical therapy is that it was never as much fun as I found the stretching and strengthening I get on my yoga mat. I’m happy to report that I’ve been able to replace those obligatory print-outs the docs gave me of my daily exercise prescription with a yoga practice that I look forward to doing! I’ve just got to say that yoga is a helluva lot more fun way to deal with the curve in my spine and the resulting back pain that it can bring.

If you live in northeast Ohio, I want to make you aware of an upcoming yoga therapy workshop being led by Amy Jeske at Yoga Bliss Akron. The workshop will bring a special approach to practicing yoga with scoliosis.

When you have scoliosis present in your spine, there are special considerations you need to be aware of when you practice yoga. Without this awareness, a regular or vigorous practice may actually make the problem worse. According to Amy, yoga has been used for years to help correct the misaligned curvature of the spine and to help rebalance the musculature of students with scoliosis.

If you have scoliosis or know someone who does, this workshop will consist of postural evaluations to determine your specific needs, followed by a basic class that will teach you how to practice with the awareness you need to move through your practice safely, with balance, and to help correct and prevent further degeneration.

The workshop will be held Saturday, March 24 from12:30 to 2:30 PM, and the cost is $20. You can register for the workshop on the Yoga Bliss website, or call the studio at (330) 576-6687. I’ve been lucky to co-teach beginners’ workshops with Amy, and I can tell you that she is very knowledgeable about yoga therapy and brings a fun, supportive environment to her classes.

If you don’t live in my ‘hood and would like to learn more about how to adapt your yoga practice to the curvature in your spine, I highly recommend  the Yoga for Scoliosis DVD workout with Elise Browning Miller (read my review of this DVD here).