Favorite Yoga for Low Back Pain DVDs & Books

I discovered yoga more than a decade ago while trying to relieve severe low back pain and sciatica caused by two herniated disks in my lumbar spine.

A gentle yoga program gradually delivered relief and I’ve remained enthusiastic about yoga ever since. In fact, I am now passing on everything I learned, by teaching gentle yoga to beginners.

The science is beginning to confirm what I found to be true: Here’s a recent article explaining the results of a study that demonstrated that Yoga Is As Good as Physical Therapy For Back Pain. (Medscape)

Since I know first hand how devastating and debilitating severe chronic low back pain can be, I’m always on the lookout for safe and effective yoga programs designed to help end the suffering.

It’s important to note that some yoga poses—such as forward bends and certain twists—can further aggravate some back conditions, so it’s important to check with your doctor before beginning a yoga program and to always trust the signals your body is sending you.

If any movement ever causes severe, sharp pain or discomfort DO NOT DO IT!

Here is a list of some of my favorite Yoga for Back Pain DVDs and books:

Yoga for Low Back Pain DVDs

My #1 Top Pick: Yoga Therapy for the Low Back

Viniyoga Therapy for the Low Back, Sacrum & Hips by Gary Kraftsow is a high quality professional DVD by the yoga therapy expert who designed the yoga therapy protocol used in the National Institutes of Health Study that successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of yoga therapy for relieving back pain. Kraftsow provides the protocols used in the study in this highly educational instructional DVD – a gift for anyone who has ever struggled with low back pain.

Viniyoga Therapy for the Low Back, Sacrum and Hips features short, simple therapeutic yoga practices carefully designed to alleviate pain and promote health in the low back, sacrum and hips.

If you are one of the 8 out of 10 Americans who have or will experience back pain, make the powerful therapeutic practices on this DVD a part of your everyday regimen for health and well-being!

Highlights from this DVD include:

• Presentation on Understanding Back Pain and the application of yoga therapy.
• Technique Workshop on how to safely perform postures and movements.
• Focused practice for Low Back and Sacrum Therapy.
• Focused practice for Hip Therapy.
• Integrated practice for sustained low back Strength and Stability.
• Bonus MP3s of all practices for audio-only classes at home or on the go.

More About Gary:
Gary Kraftsow, MA has been a pioneer in the transmission of yoga for health, healing and personal transformation for 30 years. He began his study of yoga in India with T.K.V. Desikachar in 1974 and received a Viniyoga Special Diploma from Viniyoga International in Paris, France in the mid-80s.

Gary graduated with a BA, Magna Cum Laude, from Colgate University in 1976, and received his Masters Degree in Psychology and Religion from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1983.

He spent many years in private yoga therapy practice, teaching workshops and training teachers. Since then, he has become a renowned speaker and teacher of the Viniyoga methodology at many conferences and schools nationally and internationally.

In 1999 he founded American Viniyoga Institute.

Reviews:

Gary Kraftsow, founder, director and senior teacher of the American Viniyoga Institute, elevates the genre of yoga DVDs to a whole new level…Whether you endure back pain or not, these are some of the best yoga DVDs on the market. ~ Fit Yoga

Viniyoga master Gary Kraftsow developed protocols for a recent National Institutes of Health-sponsored study of treatment for back pain. This excellent two-DVD series is based on this work and on his 30 years of experience as a yoga therapist. The detailed instruction, gentle repetitive movements, and focus on moving with awareness and the breath make these ideal practices for a wide range of people, including those who may not have pain but can benefit from strengthening and stabilizing their backs. ~ Yoga + Joyful Living

Another Good Yoga DVD for Back Pain

Yoga Rx: Common Lower Back Problems by Larry Payne provides two safe, user-friendly yoga routines that are helpful for rehabilitating chronic low back pain, sciatica and disc problems.

If you have been suffering with chronic lumbar pain, sciatica, or have been diagnosed with disc problems in your lower back, this DVD was designed with you in mind.

Yoga expert and former back pain sufferer, Larry Payne, expertly instructs you through two fifteen minutes routines which are taught in a safe, user-friendly style of yoga commonly associated with yoga therapy.

Yoga for Low Back Pain Books

Yoga Heals Your Backby Rita Trieger includes several 10-minute routines designed to stretch and strengthen you back – simple daily programs that only take a few minutes in addition to good introductory information regarding back pain and yoga. Trieger, editor-in-chief of Fit and Fit Yoga, has been practicing yoga and meditation for more than 20 years.

Back RX: A 15-Minute-a-Day Yoga- and Pilates-Based Program to End Low Back Painis an informative book written from the perspective of a physician and back pain sufferer. Its author, Vijay Vad, MD, is a sports medicine specialist, professor at Cornell University Medical Center, and Back Care Advisor for the PGA Tour. His program blends traditional physical therapy/rehabilitation with yoga and Pilates poses and has been shown effective for relieving low back pain in clinical trials.

If you suffer from chronic low back pain you owe it to yourself to give yoga a try. These books and DVDs are designed to to help. Check them out today.