Yoga for Back Care - 6 Routines

After a lifetime of sleeping well, the last 10 months or so have been really difficult for me. Every night over this time, my back would begin hurting shortly after laying down and get progressively worse. My sleep would become more fitful as the night wore on, changing positions in the attempt to get comfortable, until, after 6 or so hours of sleep, I would have to get up because I couldn't take the pain any more and could find no position that was tolerable. After visiting doctors and going for physical therapy (which, to their credit, moved the pain from the mid-to-upper to lower back!), I was starting to feel hopeless and think that this was what life was going to be like for me - at 42, a daunting prospect. Never having done yoga, I decided to take a friend's advice and got this dvd just to see, and to give it a try. After 3 days of doing the 20-minute lumbar routine nightly, I awoke free of back-pain for the first time in 10 months. The next day, again no pain. I just finished the routine today (5th day of doing it) and wanted to post a review as I really can't overstate the change this has made in my life. Of course it's just been less than a week, and should things change, I'll certainly update the review, but I'm sold. I'm pretty much planning on having a daily yoga practice for the rest of my life - it's worth it!With regard to the content, the yoga is easy to follow, gentle enough for beginners (although there are a few poses that will challenge those who haven't done abdominal workouts in a good while), and I found Barbara Benagh's instruction to be excellent. It's free of metaphysical yadda yadda, and instead includes very specific instruction on how to move specific parts/regions of the body to achieve the right position in the poses and avoid problems, and to relax various areas in which tension has been held. There is a nice blend of relaxation, stretching, and strength-building. Highly recommended.

This dvd is good, but it is geared more towards people who have to be extremely careful due to back issues or for the elderly. Having done yoga for more than 10 years I bought this because I do have psoriatic arthritis which affects my back. That being said, this dvd is far too gentle for me. It's more like a senior yoga class I accidentally took once. If you have lots of different back issues like slipped discs, etc, or have just had surgery this might be good for you (if your doctor clears it). But for someone who is experienced in yoga this is not ideal.

This DVD has a large assortment of routines to help with just about any back problem you may have. I bought it to help with my sciatica that flares during the colder months. I recently did the lumbar routine to help stretch and sooth some overworked muscles in my lower back. Barbara Benagh gives great instruction and never rushes through the routines. She has a calming voice as well. Her videos have helped me appreciate yoga more than I had in the past by moving more slowly and mindfully through each pose. Props are also used for those poses that may be harder to reach. I had all but given up on yoga thinking that I just couldn't get into the flow. But Barbara's routines have made my practice more doable which in turn has made it far more enjoyable. This DVD along with her Yoga Over 50 and Yoga For Beginners have given me the encouragement to give it another go and reap the benefits as well as enjoy it. Highly recommended.

I had been having sciatic and low back pain for at least six months and finally decided to see if Barbara Benagh had something specifically for the back. I have another of her DVDs for general yoga and have loved it.I have been doing this back DVD consistently just about every night for at least three months. After about the second month, I could finally stay in bed without being awoken at 5:00 with excruciating low back pain. The routine I usually use, mostly because of time constraints, is the low back routine which is about 20 minutes.And I also now can, for the first time in my life, do the shavasana (sp?) routine without pain. This is a first, as I did yoga many years ago and never could accomplish it without keeping my knees bent.I am 62 and in fairly good shape but my only real exercise for many years has been walking the dogs a mile or so each day. This DVD has been a Godsend.

These routines are very helpful-- my back always feels less sore after each of the ones I've done which is 4. I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 only because a couple of the routines have been marred by pixellation. In fact as satisfying as all of the videos in this series have been for me, two of the 4 I own quickly began having pixellation issues. Despite this experiences I have ordered those two again, so worthwhile is the yoga

I bought this DVD in 2016 yet never used. Now here we are in 2021 having leg pain that keeps me awake at night and unable to walk well during the day and having been diagnosed with Sciatica. The treatment suggested was epidural steroid shots which I am not a fan of; I opted to try yoga.This DVD has been a wonder treatment! After my first session I slept through the night, because I was not in pain, and I was able to walk the next day with very little pain. Two weeks later I feel like a new woman. I am not in pain, I am sleeping due to lack of pain and I am out enjoying spring weather as I walk a mile a day. I am a firm believer in natural healing and this yoga DVD has been another weapon in my arsenal of holistic living.