Iyengar Yoga Poses for the Back

Bio: Karen P. Barr, MD is an Assistant Professor in Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She teaches medical students and residents, as well as sees patients in a busy outpatient practice. She is interested in integrating ancient practices such as yoga and acupuncture with modern treatments for musculoskeletal pain and sports injuries. Dr. Barr has practiced yoga for 8 years and hopes to practice it for 60 more!

This type of yoga focuses on proper alignment and precise movements. Props such as blocks or straps are often used as part of Iyengar yoga for those who are not as flexible or to compensate for injuries. Because of this attention to detail and the modification of poses, Iyengar yoga is often a good form of yoga for people with back pain or neck pain, as they are likely to benefit from modification to the poses.

The following yoga pictures show some common yoga poses with modifications:

Yoga Picture 1 (down dog): common yoga pose that promotes stretching of the entire back of the body, and also helps develop arm and shoulder strength.

Yoga Picture 2 (modified down dog): A modification of the pose for beginners using a wall. This pose is less intense, but still stretches the back of the body and engages the arms.

Yoga Picture 3: Modification of a leg stretch for those who are less flexible by using a belt while the back rests.

Yoga Picture 4 (triangle with block): A slight modification of a classic pose that promotes flexibility of the legs, spine, and shoulders, and also trains balance.

Yoga Picture 5 (triangle with chair): The same pose made easier for beginners by using a chair for balance and decreasing the stretch, as well as modifying the twisting of the trunk.