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Step 1
Ask your doctor to explain exactly where the injury is in your back so that your yoga instructor can help you avoid and modify certain poses to prevent pain and further injury.
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Step 2
Practice gentle forms of yoga while recovering from a back injury. Hatha yoga is a good place to start.
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Step 3
Use yoga blocks to support your weight and help align your spine correctly. You can place a yoga block on the floor (or stack several) to help you achieve bends without overextending the spine.
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Step 4
Pay extra attention to form. Have your instructor help you keep your pelvis, spine and knees aligned so that the spine is always supported.
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Step 5
Build strength in the muscles that support the spine by doing the pelvic tilt. Lie in a supine position with your knees bent. Tuck your tailbone under gently and reverse.
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Step 6
Modify the supine pose by keeping one leg extended and drawing the other leg into the chest, or drawing both legs into the chest and holding. This pose helps to relax the back muscles and build strength in the supporting muscles.
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Step 7
Perform the child's pose with your arms behind your heels, palms up. You can also reach our arms up over your head.
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Step 8
Modify the cobra pose by not stretching as deeply. This pose is beneficial to the healing process, so you needn't avoid it--just take it slow and easy.
