Lillah schwartz Warrior Pose in the Garden

Yoga for a Healthy Spine: Enhancing Strength, Improving Posture, and Preventing Osteoporosis

Were our mothers right when they told us to “Stand up straight?”

The answer is a resounding YES! They knew that good posture is intimately related to good function, which is the basis of a healthy, supple, and strong spine that can flex, twist, and extend. Spinal health is essential to overall wellness and healthy aging, maximizing energy and breath, preventing back pain, and decreasing the development of osteoporosis and kyphosis.

I was thrilled to design this course for Yoga U so that yoga students and teachers can safely practice and teach spinal extensions—aka, foundational backbends—that contribute greatly to keeping our spines straight and strong. As a yoga instructor and Certified Yoga Therapist by the International Association of Yoga Therapy, I have helped hundreds of students overcome poor posture, the negative effects of prolonged sitting, and move in the direction of maintaining bone density, which is vital to preventing osteoporosis.

Take a peek at this video intro to a live online class about posture, which is the first practice pod presented in this course.

As I discuss in my book, Healing Our Backs with Yoga, the shortening of the spine over time causes joint spaces and disks to become narrow, further reducing movement, which can result in back pain and diminished breath.

Research shows that when movement is lost, the bones no longer receive the stimulation necessary to remain strong, and bone density begins to decrease. The key to a more upright and stable spine is a yoga sequence that:

Creates optimal balance between opposing muscle groups
Progressively extends and opens the spine to overcome spinal compression and collapse

3 – Part Course

In this 3-part online course, you’ll come to understand how prolonged sitting and other repeated activities, combined with poor postural habits, can cause the spine to collapse on itself, loose muscle tone and resilience, and become compressed. Muscular imbalance from any repetitive activity or lack of activity tends to create restriction in the movement of the hips, shoulders, and spine.

In the 1 hour lecture portion, I explore the why and how a progressive approach to spinal extensions is key to a healthy spine. This includes a discussion of why opening up the hips and shoulders, along with the spine, is essential to prepare the body to safely experience the benefits of back bending poses.

There are also four 30-minute practice modules, in which you’ll receive clear guidance to help you progress safely through this category of back bending yoga poses, which can be challenging for many yoga students and tend to be avoided in general classes—and thus in personal home practice.

Through this combination of lecture and demonstrated practice, you will:

Discover the primary anatomical restrictions that compromise good posture
Understand how to use opposing actions in poses to improve bone health
Explore pose sequencing to extend the spine and relieve back pain without strain
Gain insight as a teachers concerning adaptations for students in a mixed-level class

Module 1: Primary areas of postural restriction and their remedies

Module 2: Pose sequence to extend the spine and relieve back pain without strain

Module 3: Applied principles of opposition to extend and tone the spine

Module 4: Moving On—Deeper spinal extensions to build bone density and strength

“Thank you so much! I am just beginning to work with your videos and I like them very much because of the subtle movements and breath focus. You are an inspiration.” ~ Roberta, yoga enthusiast

Preview the Powerpoint

Muscles of the Backside of a Human - Why movement and breath are important

Muscles of the Backside of a Human - Restore Your Fluid Spine

Front muscles of the face, neck, and shoulders

Yoga Warrior post to restore fluid spine

My Goal for this Course

My intent in creating this course is to offer the mostly avoided, yet very necessary, poses that extend and strengthen our spines so we can maintain upright posture and bone health. My goal was to provide students with reliable progressions to create spinal length and strength so that you might practice these more challenging poses with understanding and confidence.

This Premium Course Includes These Bonuses:

Yoga practice videos: Four yoga practices designed specifically for this course.
Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions – both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
Transcripts of All Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the webinar sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 3 CEU’s with Yoga Alliance

Still Considering?

To learn more about how yoga helps prevent osteoporosis, please read this blog post I wrote sharing my personal journey and what I discovered. https://yogawithlillah.com/yoga-to-prevent-osteoporosis-key-points-to-optimize-bone-health/

You can also watch my FREE YogaU preview video. If you love the study of yoga and would enjoy a stimulating and entertaining discussion around spinal care, sitting, and osteoporosis, you will find watching this video interview to be time well spent.