Gentle Yoga for Back Pain and Prevention: 2, 30-minute relaxing, simple practices designed in conjunction with a back pain specialist [DVD]

I enjoy Jessica's Yoga DVD's. I have all of them and have been doing them for quite a while now. I purchased this one just recently because I have been experiencing nagging lower back pain. Flexibility is becoming a more important part of my workout routine now due to tightness and soreness in my joints (it's a getting older thing.) There are two 30 minute yoga sessions on this DVD. The first is for back pain relief, the second is geared toward back pain prevention. I decided to do the second practice. Honestly, I loved it. It was completely soothing and calming and it did help me to gently stretch out those lower back muscles. I think this will become my favorite wind-down yoga at the end of a stressful day. I would caution everyone to watch the whole practice first so you know what the poses are and then you can modify them to suit your needs. I modified several moves and I'm glad I did. I'm basically a beginner and I do have joint issues so pretzel-type poses don't work for me; that's why I like Jessica's yoga practices. She gently guides you through everything without Sanskrit. If you do want to try a more authentic yoga practice, I would recommend Tara Lee. She is wonderful too for more advanced.

Absolute best DVD for my back. I can only speak to my own experience, as fellow back pain sufferers must find their own way to get relief from pain. I have tried multiple yoga DVDs to ease the pain in my back. I have low back pain, and started to get rounded shoulders/pain from compensating for walking and sitting with a bad back. This instructor teaches you how to stretch and very gently strengthen these muscles in a 30-minute routine. It has helped me. Be sure to watch it before doing it, as it contains additional instruction at the bottom on the DVD while it plays. The instructor gives modifications for poses, which is very helpful. She is encourgaing without being talky and "perky." Every movement she makes is with her (and your) back in mind. If you like the program, I would encourage you to buy a yoga strap. It really works better than a towel for some of the strectches. Good luck and take care of yourselves.

These two routines are great for your back. Even if your back doesn’t hurt, I think that the first routine is still a good one to do to just help you stretch out and relax. Jessica doesn’t move too quickly through the moves in either routine and I felt very relaxed and refreshed after doing them. There are standing and floor exercises on this dvd. As usual with her dvds there are modifications offered, so even if you aren’t very flexible you can find the right pose for you. However if it’s difficult for you to be on your hands and knees then this might not be a good dvd for you. I really like this dvd and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it.

I really benefit from the session on mild to moderate back pain relief. The moves are fairly basic, but the stretches are just an all over feel good workout. There is a lot of turning from one side to the other or back to front, etc, but just be mindful and she gives suggested things to do if you can't do what she is doing. the end result is relaxation and a feeling less pain for sure....I did this before bed and it was amazing. I felt it was a good overall stretch and my back was much more relaxed and free from the pain and stiffness. On another note, the session for back pain prevention I did not enjoy as much. Some of the yoga moves were complicated as noted by other reviewers, and I didn't feel a difference in my physical being doing it. I found the workout for helping mild to moderate pain relief to be much more doable, with a noticeable and immediate benefit.

I loved this . She does don’t waste your time taking about herself. Relieves back pain gently She gets right into the program BUT sadly after I used the video 4 times it became defective!!! It’s not my DVD player because all my other videos still work , I am hoping to get another one

This video has been a blessing while I wait for my scheduled appointment for Physical Therapy. Having lower back pain I've had to wait 4 weeks to see a physical therapist. I wasn't sure what I could or couldn't do to help relieve the pain. This gentle practice was slow and reassuring to help relieve painful symptoms. There are several reminders to be gentle with yourself and not to do something if it doesn't feel right. Adding this practice now,along with my physical therapy, I feel positive I will continue to recover and prevent future symptoms.

I like this instructor and have a few of her videos. She gives calm, clear instruction without fake enthusiasm ("You're doing great!!!") to a camera. There are 2 routines on this video: one for pain relief (gentle stretching) and one for prevention (building core strength). Both are mindful of not further stressing already painful backs and contain modifications to make the exercises safer for bad backs.

I was really looking forward to this DVD but I don’t like it at all. There are to many props needed and you need to constantly go from one prop to another. It’s just constant fiddling with the stupid props, a chair, a block, a belt, a towel - give me a break. I was rushing to replace one prop with another and the instructor gives little to no guidance on the exercise. I just got fed up with it & I had a sore hip for days after trying this DVD. Also some of the exercises are not particularly gentle. I just want gentle relaxing exercises with a single prop or no props at all.