As I have come to learn through my time in the Arctic and my yoga teacher training, a Yoga practice is more about your mind than your body.  This is something I'm constantly working on since, like many others, my first introduction to yoga was through movement.  So often it feels like my yoga practice and teaching is too focused on movement, but it’s something I still love and rely on everyday. So I thought I would share a very specific way I use yoga movement in daily life, and how just recently I was reminded how much I need it! 

If you know me you know I have a passion for outdoor education, and that has led me to a position with the Girl Scouts where I travel around two states (neither of which I live in) leading programs for troops. I spend more than half the year on the road covering 58 counties in Wisconsin and Michigan.  Normally I have a camper I drag around that has a sleeping area, and holds all my equipment but there are times that I travel without it. 

Usually this only comes up for winter programs, since the camper isn’t warm enough to stay in during the winter. Recently however, I have been trying to eliminate excess travel time on the start and end of trips in an effort to spend more time at home.  So for my last trip, which was 11 days, I chose not to drive out of the way to pick the trailer up from storage.  Instead I drove right from the program closest to my home to the city where my next 4 programs would be.  It really eliminated a lot of work since I no longer had to set up and take down the trailer, but I had to stay with a friend, and was without my own mattress.  

I have suffered from back pain for most of my life, and having a really great mattress is what helps the most. When I first started my position with the Girl Scouts, and was staying in my camper for the first several nights my back pain came back quick.  I went to the closest mattress store and got one that specifically supports my back.  Since I chose to not bring the camper, and paying for a hotel for that long is not feasible, I stayed with a good friend.  

The first few nights were relatively good, as her spare room mattress is very similar to my own. However, she happened to have a roommate move in partway through my stay and I had to give up the bed.  After trying to share a bed with my friend, and discovering her mattress was very firm and caused me lots of back pain, I retreated to the couch thinking that at least I won’t have to worry about waking her up when I thrash around at night trying to get comfortable.  Before the first night I slept on the couch, I found myself sitting on the floor watching tv.  My body felt like it had a mind of its own and I moved into a child's pose to relieve some pressure from my back.  I then flowed through some of my favorite poses for back pain, and realized I should be doing this every night/morning when I travel.  

The stretching and contracting of my muscles paired with my breathing techniques, bring so much relief to all the pain points I feel.  Whether it’s my upper back feeling sore from a long day at a desk or lifting equipment, or my low back from standing too long or non supportive chairs, there’s an asana or flow that provides much needed pain relief. After flowing through whatever felt good in that moment, I turned in for a night on the couch.  As I laid there trying to fall asleep, it occurred to me that the 10 minutes of flow I just did could really help a lot of people. The next morning I quickly jotted down the poses I did the night before. Now that I’m back home again, I have time to record them for you!  Here is the first of hopefully several yoga flows for back pain.  Let me know if it helps you too!