Yoga for a Happy Back: A Teacher’s Guide to Spinal Health through Yoga Therapy

430 Pages·2016·7.44 MB·English

by  Rachel Krentzman

YOGA
FOR A HAPPY BACK
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YOGA
FOR A HAPPY BACK
A Teacher’s Guide to Spinal Health through
Yoga Therapy
RACHEL KRENTZMAN
PT, E-RYT
FOREWORD BY AADIL PALKHIVALA
LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA
First published in 2016
by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
73 Collier Street
London N1 9BE, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.singingdragon.com
Copyright © Rachel Krentzman 2016
Foreword copyright © Aadil Palkhivala 2016
Photographs copyright © Tim Hardy 2016
shotbyhardy.com
Illustrations copyright © Lior Hikrey 2016
Front cover image source: Tim Hardy. The cover image is for illustrative purposes only, and any person
featuring is a model.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including
photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally
to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in
accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a
licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N
8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of this publication
should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorized act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil claim
for damages and criminal prosecution.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Krentzman, Rachel.
Title: Yoga for a happy back : a teacher’s guide to spinal health through yoga therapy / Rachel Krentzman ;
foreword by Aadil Palkhivala.
Description: London ; Philadelphia : Singing Dragon, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015041437 | ISBN 9781848192713 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Back--Care and
hygiene--Popular works. | Back exercises--Popular works. | Backache--Exercise therapy--Popular works. |
Backache--Alternative treatment--Popular works. | Yoga--Therapeutic use--Popular works.
Classification: LCC RD768 .K74 2016 | DDC 613.7/046--dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015041437
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from
the British Library ISBN 978 1 84819 271 3
eISBN 978 0 85701 253 1
To my teachers
Of yoga and life—Aadil Palkhivala, Aman Keays, and Amy Caldwell
Of persistence and faith—Marc Zegans and Anne Marie Welsh
Of family and forgiveness—Tova, Adeena, Daniel, and Ariella Krentzman
Of unconditional love—my sons, Jake and Noam
Of sanctuary and surrender—the ocean and the sea
Contents
FOREWORD BY AADIL PALKHIVALA
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Introduction
Part I: Principles and Practices of Yoga for a Happy Back
Chapter 1 Concepts in Yoga Therapy
Chapter 2 Functional Anatomy: Structure, Movement, and Screening the Spine
Chapter 3 When it Really Hurts: Relieving Acute Back Pain
Chapter 4 Opening the Hips: The Key to Lower Back Health
Chapter 5 Demystifying the Sacroiliac Joint
Chapter 6 Creating Space: Traction
Chapter 7 What is the Core Exactly? Abdominal Strengthening and Back Pain
Chapter 8 Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Looking Inward
Part II: Teaching Yoga for a Happy Back
Chapter 9 Sequencing and the Art of Teaching
Chapter 10 Sequences to Treat Specific Conditions

REFERENCES
INDEX
Foreword
“Don’t worry; I’ve got your back.”
“The wall needs strong backing.”
“When I present my case, will you back me up?”
“If I cannot teach tonight, will you be my backup?”
In our language itself, we use the word back to mean support. We have learned
to believe that our back is, indeed, that which reinforces us, that which buttresses
us, that which holds us up.
Other phrases—“Back in the good old days,” or “In the back of my mind, I
believe…,” or “Before you hire him, do a background check,” or “Do you have
the back issues of the magazine?,” or “One day you will look back and be glad
you did this”—remind us that in our language the word back also equates with
the past. Our back, therefore, must hold the joy and the sorrow, the strength and
the fear, the power and the insecurity of our yesteryears.
Thus our mind believes that “back” represents both support and the past. So,
when I sense the familiarity of being unsupported, when I feel out-of-control or
perceive fear, this thought-sense with its entourage of emotions floods my
defenseless subconscious mind.
Since no one can show where the mind ends and the body begins, what
happens in my mind must be reflected and manifested in my body. What I feel
determines how my body responds. If I feel unsupported, unstable, or burdened
by the past, my back must show it to me by giving me discomfort and pain.
It is impossible to facilitate true and long-term healing in my body or the
body of my students by merely doing some stretching exercises. The mind, the
body, and the emotions must all be addressed. Having suffered intense back pain
originating from two herniated discs and severe sacroiliac misalignment, I know
from personal experience that true healing of the back must be a multi-pronged
process. Using asana and specialty traction devices which I designed, I was able