Your Back Pain Isn’t Just Physical…

If you’re sitting all day, scrolling at night, and waking up stiff, your body is screaming for change. But the fix isn’t just about stretching—it’s about reconnecting with yourself. Discover yoga flows that restore not just your spine but your sanity. Practice some of the core fundamentals of heart yoga here.

Join me on YouTube for quick, real-life routines.

What to Expect in this Video

Heart Strike: “May all sentient beings be happy and have the means to that happiness.” With this wish, interlace fingers and strike forward with vigor, and then back to your own heart.

Bound Angle A & B: Soles of the feet touch, focus on the spine. Out-breath lengthens and in-breath expands to relax joints and limbs.

Spine

Made up of 33 vertebrae grouped into cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal regions. The natural spinal curves act as shock absorbers, distributing forces equanimously through time.

Sacred Space

Forward and back bending (aka flexion and extension) are essential movements for reaching and lifting. Twisting is crucial for functional movement and sports. While side bending helps maintain core balance. The pelvic floor supports the base of the spine while deep core muscles continue the succession throughout the spine. As the spine grows up, the bones become hollow. With these elements in place, the spine is set up for success - sturdy at the base, and with mobility to move, breathe, and speak at the top.

The Mind

Stay aware of the whole spine throughout your yoga practice. Stay present and notice when the mind wanders away from full-spine awareness. The spine is the control center of the rest of your body. Observe your relationship to these movements, take notes, and notice patterns. The body is made of the thoughts we think, and the spine is the central conducting channel to communicate through the nervous system to the rest of our body.

Too Stressed to Even Meditate?

You’re not alone. Modern life keeps us in constant fight-or-flight mode, making even sitting still feel impossible. But what if you could find stillness without forcing it? At YOGAwCHRIS, we teach yoga that meets you where you are—no pretzel poses, just real relief for real stress.

In this episode, we start from the ground up, focusing on the hips, neck, and shoulders. Your going to want a block for this beginner-friendly sequence.

BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

Root.

The earth is our sensory connection to develop an energetic connection that, over time, cultivates the way you walk, stand, and even sit. When we are consciously rooted in posture, our mind can expand properly. Note the Fibonacci sequence, a pattern that gradually unfolds, consistently, and in alignment. Each sequence builds upon the previous one, curating your unique expression on the mat. Your connection with truth channels to the rest of your life.

Rise.

Once we are rooted, we can rise through our outermost expression - lengthening the inner winds of the body and allowing for homeostasis within. And it feels good. Now we want to be mindful of the body as a whole when expanding. The whole body is engaged and alive in equanimity.

Observe.

Now we drop into the science and seat of the observer. Observe how your body responds to certain postures. Are you focusing on your outbreath, then on your inbreath? Are you aware of all parts of your body in equanimity? Is your breath balanced on the in and out? Is it appropriate to connect to Ujjayi (Ocean Breath)?

Ujjayi breath engages essential core muscles and can neutralize the frustrating emotions that accompany certain postures.

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