Relief is in the Stretch: End Back Pain Through Yoga

I found it to be incorrect intuitively and diametrically opposed to information given to me by my PHD physical therapist and others in the medical community, Backbending for spinal stenosis is arguably the worst thing you can do.

As a certified yoga teacher, I can say that this book is an excellent manual—well researched and physiologically and therapeutically sound!

Outstanding and informative book written by a doctor who specialises in healing muscular problems using yoga. very practical, with both pictures and clear instructions on what particular problem each position helps. I had a severe back strain for over a year which meant I could barely get in and out of my car, and caused extreme pain every time I did, and dreadful spasms throughout the day and very limited sleep at night due to no position being pain free. within days I was a new woman. seriously it was like magic and I now practice yoga regularly to keep my back as pain free and flexible as possible and i'll be a yogi for the rest of my days. I highly recommend this book.BARBARA

An excellent book, neatly divided into two parts, the first part describing succinctly yoga and back pain and the second part suggesting poses for nine different diagnoses. Having suffered severe crippling leg pains that my general practioner finally diagnosed as relating to my back, I sought relief. Relief in the Stretch opened up a whole new world for me. It suggested Iyengar yoga, a form of yoga that focuses on the accuracy of poses. I started seeing an Iyengar yoga teacher and concurrently reading and rereading this book. I learn that yoga is the right thing for chronic pain. It does indeed "increase flexibility, strengthening muscles and bones, increasing range of motion, sharpening focus, heightening self-awareness, and producing calm." There are numerous helpful medical tidbits, such as when one muscles flexes another muscle relaxes: "every time the biceps contracts . . . its opposite, the triceps . . . must relax." When I tighten my abdominal muscles I relax the muscles in my back, the muscles that are partly the cause of my pain. I learned that a patient has symptoms, i.e. sharp pains in my leg in my case, but that the doctor needs signs to diagnose the cause, i.e. the films from an MRI. Nine different types of back pain are discussed (including Herniated Discs, Arthritis, Sacroliac Joint Derangement, Pirformis Syndrome and Weight Control) with yoga poses for each. Everytime I reread a chapter I discover something new. If you have back problems, this is not just a book to buy, read and shelve in your library. Rather it is also a book that will be a continuing source of information as you work at obtaining long-term relief through yoga.

This book is well researched and informative.

Practical, useful advice clearly explained by one who knows his stuff. Trained by Iyengar and a medical doctor to boot.

This book goes a long way to explain and identify origins of pain. It is well organized, clear in its instruction and provides an excellent path to pain relief. i'm still exploring the different poses and look forward to guiding my daily exercises with this book.

Very helpful. Have a bad back and main reason for purchase. Learned stretches that help reduce back pain.

Rather American for me but otherwise excellent. Helped me to ease mis-aligned sacro-ileac joints and piriformis syndrome which is more than a Chiropractor managed!

I love this book for it's in depth understanding of how Yoga can assist to specifically target problem areas. Highly recommend.