yoga changed My Life:

I started practicing yoga for the first time on my Wii Balance Board with Wii Fit Plus. I was getting over the brutal ending of my five-year relationship, and my Wii console offered me some desperately needed escape from endless thinking and analyzing. I soon figured out that the yoga practices on Wii Fit Plus helped quiet my mind even more than skateboarding or basketball, and soon I wanted more… urgently. My brother joked at the time and said I was like an addict – "chasing the white light." He was right in some ways – I was chasing the white light – the divine white light that yoga would bring into my life.

Fast forward a few years and yoga is now such an integral part of my life I don’t know how I ever survived without it. These are the lessons yoga continue to teach me every day:

Yoga changes my life 

1. New beginnings.

Every day is an opportunity for a new beginning. My yoga practice is different every day. Poses that are hard on one day are manageable or even easy on another. I just have to accept what is happening on the mat for me today. I appreciate what I have on each given day… and know I can start again tomorrow.

2. The value of the pause.

A friend once described me as a "quick thinking, fast talking" person. Having a million-miles-an-hour mind has its perks, but when that chatter becomes destructive, it’s hard to stop the snowball effect. Yoga taught me to pause and be still. I appreciate nothing more than those golden moments when I am moving, fluidly, in a dreamlike state, aware only of the flow of my own breath. Finally, my mind gives it a rest and I become free from its bondage.

3. Expression of my soul.

Savasana has become an amazing opportunity for an encounter with my true self. Seated meditation is still a challenge for me but in savasana I connect with my soul. I don’t think, but things come to me. Insights into myself and I am left in awe of what is in my heart.

4. No more paralyzing fear.

Challenging postures taught me that my fears and doubts paralyze me. When I doubt, I fall out and when I’m scared to fall, fail, or get hurt – I just don’t do anything. It’s my strategy in life too. So now I fall, I get hurt, and I get up… because it’s so important to DO something. When it doesn’t work out the way I planned, it’s never as significant as I thought it would be.

5. Releasing and letting go.

In a posture, when you hold on, you tighten up, constrict and contract, and there’s little room for moving forward. Sounds a bit like life – surprise, surprise! Letting go of what you don’t NEED is essential to move forward. The tension is self-inflicted; become aware of it, then release it.

6. Loving the bod.

Yoga has me seeing my body as a team. All my organs, cells, glands, and me – we have a little support group going on. I look after them, and they look after me. We chat and listen, and I learn so much from all of them because this body knows endlessly more than I could ever fathom. We heal each other every day.

7. Acceptance.

My practice teaches me to be at peace with what is, even if it’s not exactly how I had envisioned it. I will be on a mission to conquer one of my nemesis postures, without progress to get excited about, when suddenly, without warning, I will get into another posture for the first time. Just like that. For every pose that has eluded me, yoga has given me another just as lovely instead.

8. My endless potential.

I have expanded my body in yoga in ways that had me realize how much more there is to me. It’s a journey during which I am expanding my body, my potential and my understanding of the limitlessness of being human.

9. Physical body improvements.

I am no spring chicken, but I’m in better physical shape than I've ever been. I am strong and I am healthy. No diet, no starvation, no extremes – just me and my "support group" doing the work as a team!

10. Happiness.

Yoga has made me happy. I get a sense of intense joy when I roll out my purple mat and get into that first Downward-Facing Dog. I come home – centered, peaceful, and happy. I am being with what is. I am.

Back pain exercises

Some mild discomfort at the start of exercises should disappear as muscles become stronger. However, if pain is worse than mild and lasts longer than 15 minutes during the exercise, Then go for yoga poses which you can do slowly asanas are very helpfull to recover you.

Tad Asana:

This Asana helps to stretch the spinal cord and is good for the muscles of the arms, shoulders and the neck

Tadasana

The Corpse Pose or Savasana:

yoga for backpain

This Asana is helpful in releasing tension and relieving pain in the muscles of the back. In this pose, the body gets complete rest and the mind is at peace. 'Sava' means a dead body in Sanskrit and it is also called the relaxation posture.
->Starting at the top of the head and working your way down to   the feet, bring your attention to each part of your body,    consciously relaxing it before proceeding on to the next.

Marjarasan or the cat posture:
Stand on your knees. The distance between them should be equal to the distance between your shoulders. Now, bend forward and place your elbows on the ground, with the left elbow touching the left knee and the right one touching the right knee.
Your palms should be facing down. Straighten your arms and lift your body with the palms still facing down.

Bhujangasan or the snake posture

Sleep on your stomach with your hands on either side. Your forehead should be touching the ground. Place your hands, palms down, next to your chest on either side with the elbows pulled inwards.  Take a deep breath.
As you exhale, slowly lift the upper half of your body—the chin, the nose, the forehead, the neck and the chest—and arch your spine inwards. Hold this posture for three-five breaths.

1. Limit Bed Rest

Studies show that people with short-term low-back pain who rest feel more pain and have a harder time with daily tasks than those who stay active.
“Patients should avoid more than three days of bed rest,” says Mike Flippin, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in back and spine care at San Diego Medical Center. “I encourage my patients to get moving as quickly as possible.”

2. Keep Exercising

Activity is often the best medicine for back pain. “Simple exercises like walking can be very helpful,” “It gets people out of a sitting posture and puts the body in a neutral, upright position.”
But remember to move in moderation, Flippin says. “Stay away from strenuous activities like gardening and avoid whatever motion caused the pain in the first place.”

3. Maintain Good Posture

The pain may have started after a long workout at the gym, but the strain that caused it has probably been building for years. Wilmarth says most people have poor posture when going about their daily activities, putting unnecessary strain on their backs.
“Little things add up,” she says. “You can increase the pressure on your back by 50% simply by leaning over the sink incorrectly to brush your teeth. Keeping the right amount of curvature in the back takes pressure off the nerves and will reduce back pain.”

Yoga For Thyroid Disorder

The thyroid is akin to a computer’s motherboard producing hormones that regulate the body’s metabolism through back-and-forth chemical conversations with the brain and the pituitary gland. The thyroid can tip into over-production or hyperthyroidism with physical expressions of nervous energy, heat intolerance, menstrual problems, rapid heart rate, and a range of other issues. Low hormone production or hypothyroidism is often misdiagnosed because the symptoms look like aging-fatigue, weight gain, muscle pains, bowel movement changes, mental confusion or forgetfulness, and depression. Both conditions are more common in mature women, ages 30-60.
Hypothyroidism is a condition that can impact anything from your weight to your fertility. What’s unfortunate is that a large chunk of the population has been diagnosed with underactive thyroid(hypothyroidism) and yet there’s few options out there for treatment aside for taking medication. What many people don’t know is that yoga can have quite the impact on the way your thyroid performs. Here’s how yoga can help to improve thyroid imbalance.
Yoga is one of the ancient techniques for dealing with thyroid problems. Regular yoga practice can help to deal with thyroid problems efficiently. Yoga is far more than exercise. It helps to bring mind, body and spirit into perfect balance. It is an excellent alternative for treating people suffering from thyroid diseases. Yoga is recommended by many doctors these days as it stimulates the thyroid glands and helps in balancing metabolism.

Shoulder stand

1. Place a folded blanket so the upper back and shoulders can rest upon it for support. Lie on your back and ensure that your head and spine are aligned. Legs are straight and feet together.

2. Arms rest along the sides, palms down. Relax your entire Body Mind.

3. Press lower spine gently into the ground, contract the tummy muscles and raise the legs to the sky. Pressing down with arms and palms, smoothly lift the buttocks and roll the spine up and away from the mat.

4. Bend elbows and use your hands to support the backs of your rib cage. Use each and every finger and the palms of each hand to make that connection of warmth and stability. The higher up you place your hands, the straighter your pose will be.

5. Notice how each vertebra feels as each slowly ascends. As the torso raises upward, notice the subtle movement of the cervical spine (back of the neck) Be aware of all sensations your experience.

6. Gently tuck chin into chest. Keep your chest expansive.

7. In the final phase, your legs are vertical, together, and in a straight line with the trunk of your body. Your shoulders, nape of neck and back of the head supports your body. The arms provide support. Your feet are completely relaxed. Your breath is slow, deep and rhythmic.

8. To return, bring straightened legs forward until your feet are above your head. Slowly release your hands and press the arms and palms into the mat for support. Contract the abdomen and gracefully descend, vertebra by vertebra. Lower the buttocks. Press lower spine into the mat as you lower your legs. Keep those knees straight. Retain the breath until you land.

9. Rest. Let your heartbeat and breath quiet before proceeding. Notice all sensations running through your body.

Bow Pose

1. Begin lying prone with the arms extended to the sides of the body, the legs hip distance apart, and the forehead on the ground. 

2. Bend the knees towards the buttocks and place the hands around the outside of the ankles. Inhale to begin pressing the feet into the palms until both sides of the chest draw up off the floor. 

3. Reach through the top of the head. The body should look like an archers bow.

4. To release from this pose, lower the chest and quietly return the legs to the floor.

Fish Pose

1. Come to lie on your back.

2. Come up onto your elbows.

3. Slide your body towards the back of the mat while keeping your forearms in place and puffing up your chest.

4. Drop the crown of your head back to the floor, opening your throat.

5. To come out, press strongly into your forearms and raise your head off the floor.

6. 6. Release your upper body to the floor.