Mat Matters, Episode 3: Releasing the Lower Back

As a yoga teacher, one of the things that I continue to get the most questions about is how to release the lower back. It seems that at least 60% of my students have some sort of lower-back "thing," and everyone wants a way to make it go away (including me!). Although I can't offer a quick fix, I can recommend something that's really helped me with my lower back pain, and that's doing a brief series of yoga poses right when I wake up in the morning.

I've blogged about this before, when I shared "My Lower Back Release Routine" in pictures, but after getting a request for more information about it, I thought a video would be helpful. 

I can't say enough about how wonderful a morning stretching routine can be, no matter what it is. Even if you don't have lower back issues, I recommend doing at least one or two stretches right when you wake up, just to get the blood flowing again and to wake the body up a bit; You can't go wrong with child's pose, down dog, and a supine twist. 

So, you can watch my latest quick how-to here on the blog, or by subscribing to my new Starr Struck YouTube Channel. 

Please note that I don't discuss lacrosse ball rolling (mentioned in my last lower back post) in this episode, but that I'll be sharing a lot more about this amazing tool in another upcoming video ;)