Yoga For Back Pain Care 12-Week Course

Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course

Currently, this course is only available as private, in-person tuition. This might be one-to-one at your home or my home studio. Or you might like to gather a group of friends and family with back pain issues, to share the cost of the sessions. I can run the course for the group, at your own home, at a cost of £75 per hour if you are local to Crouch End. The course is twelve weeks long. Although it is ok to skip the odd class here and there, you must attend the sessions regularly, to get the full benefit of the course.

Welcome to the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course

Are you tired of living with chronic lower back pain? Are you searching for a solution that doesn’t involve invasive procedures or medication? I hear you! As someone who has had back pain on and off for many years, I know it can be a challenge to find a way to become pain-free. A turning point for me, as a yoga teacher with back and joint pain, was doing the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course. Based on peer-reviewed research, this course is designed to be accessible and beneficial for both yoga practitioners and those who are new to yoga.

The Power of Yoga for Lower Back Pain Relief

Yoga has been practised for centuries, but did you know that it has also been extensively studied and proven effective in relieving many stress-related ailments? In fact, scientific research into how yoga benefits health and well-being has flourished in the last decade, as more and more people realise the power of this ancient approach.

Graph from: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

This course is based on research conducted by the University of York which provides solid evidence that yoga can increase back health and reduce back pain. The YHLB course was found to reduce back pain-related work absences by around 70%.

A Holistic Approach to Back Health

Unlike quick-fix solutions, the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course takes a holistic approach to back health. It is now well understood that back pain is greatly affected by stress levels and lifestyle choices. The UK medical researchers at NICE (the UK National Institute for Clinical Excellence) now recommend that chronic back pain sufferers are treated using a bio-psycho-social approach. The YHLB course incorporates not only yoga postures and movements but also breathwork, philosophical enquiry, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques. This comprehensive approach targets the root causes of back pain, promoting overall well-being and preventing future issues.

Accessible for All

Whether you’re a complete beginner or a regular yoga practitioner who has chronic back pain this course is designed to meet you where you are. You will be taught individualised modifications to the carefully curated yoga sequences that are the basis of the YHLB course. These are the same sequences used in the University of York research.

All fitness levels and body types are accommodated. You don’t need to be flexible, young, slim or have prior yoga experience to participate. All you need is the willingness to embark on a transformative journey toward a healthier back.

Benefits of the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Course

Is This Yoga for Back Pain Course Suitable for Me?

Whatever your age, fitness level or yoga experience if you have chronic back pain, with occasional flare-ups and remissions of pain, this course is ideal for you! You will learn how to manage the pain and you’ll most likely learn the cause of the pain and how to avoid it as you continue through the course.

You do not need to have any previous experience of yoga, you certainly don’t need to be able to touch your toes or stand on your head!! 🙂 The yoga movements are very gentle and accessible and as you continue through the course you are encouraged to gradually build your strength and flexibility according to your own pace.

This yoga is very gentle, you are never required to move out of your comfort zone. The yoga classes themselves are very safe, enjoyable and relaxing. Learning to deeply and actively relax is a key component of the course, it can often be the missing piece in back care support.

This course is designed for people with chronic back pain (it could be upper, mid or lower back pain), hip pain or sciatica. There are certain symptoms (known as Red Flags) that will make you ineligible for the course. Instead, you should be referred for medical treatment.
Another requirement is that you can get down to the floor and back up again unaided by another person (you can use a nearby chair for support if needed).

This course is not suitable for pregnant women, or women trying to become pregnant. If you are pregnant and have back pain problems, a course of three one to one lessons with Julia is a good idea.

Back Conditions that May be Addressed on this Course

Sacro-iliac Joint Pain
Prolapsed or Herniated Disc
Sciatica
Piriformis Syndrome
Osteoarthritis
3-Joint Degenerative Complex
Lordosis
Kyphosis
Scoliosis
Muscle Sprain and Strain

Please Note

This course is recognised as safe for people suffering from a number of back problems beyond those mentioned above such as spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis and others. However, please be aware that I am unable to diagnose or treat any medical condition. If you are unsure about your suitability for this course, then do talk to your GP or physiotherapist or osteopath.

Please make sure you have read, understood and agree to the Disclaimer.

What Kind of Time Investment is Required?

To get the most out of this course, it’s best to invest your time, attention and participation. If you practice regularly between the class sessions you can expect to see more positive change in your back. I’ve had a few students who have alleviated their pain without doing home practice, but they are the exception, not the norm.

There are home practices that you do at least twice a week, or up to five days a week. The movement takes around 20 -30 minutes. The relaxation is around 10 -15 minutes long.

You can choose to have extra one-to-one classes to work more specifically, or if you have to miss some classes. It is fine to miss a couple of the in-person classes, but you must do the first “Week 1” class, either as part of the group or privately.

Yoga as a Learning Process

Learning to restore your back to health is not like going to a massage therapist or an osteopath. I will not fix your back for you, You are required to do the work to understand how to care for your own back. It is a gradual learning process. You don’t need to study anatomy, although I will introduce you to some basics. Instead, you will be required to meet and greet your body, mind and breath with curiosity and kindness. In this way, you’ll learn how to tend to the parts of ourselves that have become overused, underused, stuck, tight, weak and generally unhappy.

Yoga is the ultimate healing modality as it recognises the need to attend to our whole being, not just our physical body. We will learn how our breath, mental health, habits, beliefs and ability to relax (or not) all have an impact on back pain. Working in this holistic way, we can find more balance and ease in our lives.

Course Venue, Dates and Outline

This course is currently only available privately as small group or 1-2-1 sessions. The sessions are in-person and held at your home (for group sessions or 1-2-1) or my home studio (for 1-2-1).

If you have longstanding back pain of a more complex nature, I recommend that you have a private lesson before commencing the course in a group setting.

Private Sessions at my home Studio for £65 per hour; or six sessions for £360

Private 1-2-1 or group session at your home (local to Crouch End) £75 per hour or six sessions for £420

Week 1
Relaxation and Comfort

Week 2
Steadiness in Body, Mind and Breath

Week 3
Spinal Posture: Core – Support

Week 4
Mindfulness and Self-Knowledge

Week 5
Joint Health – The Body as a Temple

Week 6
Gravity and Space – Lifting the Spirits

Week 7
Prana – Breath and Life Force

Week 8
Release Tension to Create Energy

Week 9
Body-Mind Strength and Resilience

Week 10
Yoga for Holistic Well-Being

Week 11
Intention and Appreciation

Week 12
The Goal is to Follow the Path

Meet Your Teacher

Julia has been teaching gentle yoga for back pain sufferers for over a decade, and teaching yoga for around twenty years. Having completed The Minded Institute’s in-depth course on Yoga Therapy for Chronic Pain, she is nearing completion of their two-year in-depth Diploma in Yoga Therapy, accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Julia appeared on ITV’s Tonight Programme called Back Pain: Britain’s Unseen Crisis. You can view a clip from this programme below.

The YHLB course was recently featured on Radio 4’s Inside Health programme.
You can listen to the show here. If you don’t want to make a BBC account, you can just download the audio file from this page and listen to it that way.

Book Your Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Sessions.

The YHLB course is available at my home studio or your home (local to Crouch End). I’m happy to teach a group of people, to make it more affordable for participants.

Please note: I am not available on evenings or weekends.

Please email Julia to express your interest and she will get back to you with available times and days for the 12 weekly sessions.

What Past Participants Say

I found the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs course with Julia very useful and enjoyable. I had very little knowledge of yoga beforehand, and very little realisation of how to connect to my core muscles. I think many of my muscles have been sleeping! For me it was particularly helpful to learn how to stand correctly, how to get up, how to sit, how to sleep, how to pick things up, how to think about walking. Julia is excellent at pinpointing exactly what should be worked on with each person’s posture in each position. The breathing exercises have been fantastic, learning the way that breathing affects our fight and flight and rest and digest systems. The relaxation exercises are a breakthrough too, and so helpful for mind and body. In addition, the different yoga poses, which are all gentle and not too complicated and are easy to put into practice throughout the day. Many of the exercises gently help us to connect our brains with the core muscles and then to strengthen them. Julia encourages us to listen to our bodies and not to push to where things hurt and she explains the anatomy of muscles and tendons so that we understand. Julia is always encouraging and attentive to all the students and we all looked forward to our sessions.

Sarah b 2

Sarah B

YHLB Group Class

Julia genuinely understands how chronic pain works. After 8 years of trying different classes and physiotherapists, Julia is the first teacher I have found who actually allows you to work within your limits and build strength, movement, relaxation and awareness into daily life. Julia's focus on somatics and wealth of knowledge about yoga and how the mind and body are impacted by movement is really quite limitless. The opportunity to improve your daily life with chronic pain is invaluable and I would highly recommend Julia's holistic yoga. Julia is also kind, curious, accepting and great at teaching online and in person. The knowledge she passes on is always above and beyond simply exercising for 1.5 hours. I had got to the point where pain meant I was not able to do any form of exercise and was fearful of movmenet causing more pain. Yoga classes for back pain helped me transition slowly out of a period of inactivity without having major adverse affects on my pain levels (and working on that fear that still comes up). Overall Julia's classes help make managing pain easier and therefore life more enjoyable.

Kate Anderson

YHLB Group Class

Following spinal surgery in May '22, I recovered well but began to experience increasingly serious pain in my lower back, hips and legs. I also became increasingly immobile (as I had been before my surgery). In Autumn '22, my GP prescribed morphine based pain relief to help me manage the pain and referred me for further tests. In some desperation in late Autumn, I did desk top research to find a yoga practitioner who might be able to help me manage the pain better and with less drug dependency. I found Julia, via the Versus Arthritis website, as a practitioner specialising in back pain. I started weekly 1-2-1 sessions with Julia in January '23. I was tired and depressed and I wanted her to cure me. Julia was able to say with confidence that she knew she could help me but she gently pointed out that I would have to take responsibility for doing the work. Her approach was very careful and considered, focussed on ‘switching on’ some muscles that had switched off and ‘switching off’ other muscles that had been over-working. I knew that I was in very safe hands and she insisted that I respect even the slightest twinges of pain. She immediately adjusted asanas to ensure a completely pain-free practice. Julia concurrently addressed the psychological components of my pain, she was able to do this in ways that did not elicit defensiveness from me. Julia knows her stuff! Pain reduced steadily and by March I had completely stopped medicating (at the worst time I was taking 240mg co-codomol daily). I was also increasing regular exercise, swimming, cycling and walking. By Summer '23 I was more or less completely pain free and our 1-2-1 sessions came to a natural end. I have been able to do 10 mile hikes and 3k swims as I would have done before my surgery. I still experience pain from time to time and I continue to practice what I learned with Julia. My life is transformed and I have Julia to thank for that

Jo O

YHLB One to One Sessions