Prevent kyphosis – -upper back curvature
Does your back ache a lot of the time? Do you notice that the upper vertebrae where your back meets your neck stick out prominently? Then it’s time to think seriously about preventing and reversing kyphosis, the excessive curvature of the upper back that makes us walk bent over with our heads stuck out and that contributes to back and neck pain. While kyphosis is often associated with aging, it’s actually an epidemic among all ages today because we spend so much time bent over our phones and computers. Time to fight back!
Spend 5 minutes flat on your back
I first learned about “feet up against the wall” from my Rolfer and friend, Melanie Gillum (who you see demonstrating in the photos). Then we learned it again in my Ayurveda classes. Those are two authoritative sources and i immediately began to put this teaching into practice. I’m a tough case because i live on the computer (remember i wrote 65 books!) and i have a very long neck. Together these two strikes meant i had neck and back pain often and people were noticing the development of kyphosis in my back. Wow does this practice make a difference!
To do feet-up-against-the-wall, lie on the floor somewhere where you can get your butt close to the wall. Get a small pillow for your head. It’s good if you have a mat or rug under you (not the bed or couch. They’re too soft), especially if you have a prominent backbone like i do. Put your feet up against the wall, set a timer for 5 minutes, and relax. If comfortable and if you can get your arms flat, put your arms straight over your head. If your arms don’t go flat, you can support them with a cushion. Otherwise, leave your arms at your sides. You can gently press your lower back tight to the floor and release several times also. I sometimes listen to music or chant mantra while i’m lying there.
What a difference 5 minutes makes
Of course, you can spend more than 5 minutes doing this practice, but that short time will do the job. After my very first practice, I noticed a relief of back pain and that my vertebrae felt less prominent in my neck. Now i do feet-up-against-the-wall everyday, at least one time. Often i do it right before bed and i notice i wake up without a sore back or neck. After years of yoga and Pilates (both of which i recommend) i think feet-up-against-the-wall is the single best practice for relief of back pain that i’ve ever found. See if it works for you.