The Yoga Back Book: The Gentle Yet Effective Way to Spinal Health. Stella Weller

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      Thorsons

      An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

      77–85 Fulham Palace Road,

      Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

       www.harpercollins.co.uk

      Published by Thorsons 1993

      This revised edition 2000

      Photography by Robin Matthews

      Text illustrations by Peter Cox Associates

      Copyright © Stella Weller

      A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

      Stella Weller asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

      All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

      HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

      Source ISBN: 9780007100149

       Ebook Edition © DECEMBER 2014 ISBN: 9780008125288 Version: 2014-11-17

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

1. Back Basics

2. Body Moves

3. Diet for a Healthy Back

       4. Warming Up and Cooling Down

       5. Essential Back Exercises

       6. Abdominal Support – Exercises to Strengthen your Abdomen and Support your Back

       7. Strong Legs for a Strong Back

       8. Relaxing for a Pain-Free Back

       9. Further Back Care Special Needs – Pregnancy, Sports, Driving and More

       Glossary

       Bibliography

       Acknowledgments

       Also by the Author

       About the Publisher

Introduction

      Back problems have become epidemic. Almost every one of us will experience some form of backache or pain, or related symptom at some stage of our life. Many of us will subject ourselves to unnecessary, ineffective treatments or give up activities we enjoy. Back problems, moreover, have become extremely costly: they result in absenteeism from work and they generate incalculable misery.

      And yet according to experts, the care and management of our back is essentially our responsibility, and self-treatment of low back pain and similar problems brings better and more lasting results, in the long-term, than any other form of therapy.

      For almost fifty years, I have lived a full and highly productive life, despite a marked lateral curvature of the spine (scoliosis). I attribute this, in large part, to the observation and practice of principles of back care which I now share with you in this book. These are based on the ancient wisdom of yoga – a system of non-strenuous exercises done with full awareness, in synchronization with appropriate breathing, and special mental and breathing exercises that promote relaxation and help in coping with stress.

      Yoga, which was tremendously popular in the 1960s and 1970s is now making a strong comeback. I believe this is because of people’s disenchantment with the unfulfilled promises of many high-impact, aerobic-type exercises and the potential of some of them for injury. Yoga is ideal for the millions of people who suffer from backache and related problems. Its gentle movements and the concentration and synchronized breathing it requires make it impossible to hurt yourself, provided the rules are adhered to. One eminent orthopaedic specialist has written, in fact, that as controlled stretching exercise yoga has no peer, and that the mental and physical discipline involved in its practice is superb. Other authors of books on back care have devoted entire chapters to exercises to which they refer as ‘similar to yoga’, an acknowledgement of the respect with which the yoga system is regarded.

      This book is intended not only for those of you who are plagued with back problems, but also for those of the privileged minority who aren’t and who wish to keep it that way. It can also be a useful reference for health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and fitness instructors. It emphasizes personal responsibility in the management of back problems. It also stresses prevention, and provides the tools to help forestall difficulties and maintain the health of the spine and related structures. These tools include information on how the vertebral (spinal) column is constructed, how to use it intelligently and how to care for it through a sensible balance of appropriate exercises, relaxation and sound nutrition.

      More than 130 illustrations СКАЧАТЬ