Yoga for the Lower Back

Keep your back strong so you can stay active!

Who am I?

Hi! I'm Janine Agoglia, owner and instructor at Purple Room Yoga, an online yoga studio for active adults over 50 who want to stay active for the long term.

I have been practicing and teaching yoga since 1995 and am also an orthopedic acupuncturist. I understand the causes of many types of lower back pain and discomfort, and what to help you feel empowered when it comes to your lower back.

When I turned 39, I started having lower back pain. It turns out I had weak glutes and my body was compensating. Through years of strengthening and stretching with yoga, and learning what not to do, I now, at age 54, live without pain.

I want that for you, that's why I created Yoga for the Lower Back.

15 practice videos

These videos start you off slowly, with short classes that meet you where you are. Build core strength mindfully, no endless crunches. It's common for the lower back to compensate when the core muscles are weak. Strengthening slowly, with intention, builds support for your lower back going forward.

Mobility, or lack thereof, also affects how your lower back functions. Years of sitting at a desk, playing a one sided sport like tennis or golf, or simply leading an asymmetrical life can lead to poor posture that can affect your lower back.

Stretching gently with purpose can relieve lower back pain, and give you the mobility that your hips and pelvis require so that you don't rely on your lower back to do the work it's not meant to do.

Take 2-3 of classes per week, at your convenience, You will repeat each set of classes 3+ times over the course of a few weeks. When you feel ready to move on to the next set, you do.

You will have lifetime access to these classes to revisit as many times as you like. Add these classes to your normal exercise routine to keep your back strong and healthy.

Course book for guidance

Different people learn in different ways. Some learn by listening, others by doing, still others by seeing. Many people learn through multiple avenues. The course book gives you visual information so that you might understand what is going wrong in your body, leading to pain and dysfunction.

Explore your posture and basic anatomy to see what small changes you might make to improve how you feel. You can't change anything without awareness. There are many muscles that go through and affect your lower back. Your pain might be coming from somewhere else. Understanding the basic anatomy of your lower back and pelvis helps you visualize the parts and pieces that are causing your pain.

Learn what your body is trying to tell you through the language of sensation. There are different types of pain. Knowing what your body is telling you will help you know what to do about it.

Sometimes stretching helps, sometimes it makes things worse. Do you know when to stretch vs strengthen vs foam roll to get relief? This book has the information you seek.

I also go over the cause of SI joint problems, what to do about them, why you need to use your glutes, and more!

Bonus videos

There are many causes of lower back pain and many ways that it affects our daily life.

These bonus videos round out the information so that you have as much detail as you need to move through your day with more ease and less pain.

• Learn how and why to foam roll, using a foam roller, tiger tail, or a ball, and when to use each tool.

• Learn proper form for pelvic tilts, Bridge pose, Plank pose, backward bends, forward bends, and twisting.

• Learn the Mechanics of Walking. You learned to walk as a baby, but somewhere along the way, things might have gone haywire. Learn the proper mechanics of walking to get the most out of your walks.

• Yoga props can make the difference between having an effective yoga practice, or having a yoga practice that causes you more pain or frustration. Learn the best ways to use yoga blocks, straps, and blankets to support your yoga practice. Find the path of more ease and greater benefit through the use of props.