Chronic Disease, Emotional health, Essential Oils, Gut Health, Kids Health, Natural pain relief, Natural Sleep Support, Supplements, Women's health

This Is Why I Recommend Copaiba Over CBD

When it comes to managing modern health challenges like chronic stress, anxiety, and inflammatory conditions, it’s best to take a natural approach. People now realize how dangerous it can be to become dependent on pain killers and mood-altering drugs. Cannabidiol (CBD), is a popular natural solution, but the lesser-known Copaiba essential oil is even better in my opinion. Here’s why I think it’s a clear winner when people are considering Copaiba essential oil vs. CBD for holistic health.

Why Focus on the Endocannabinoid System?

The endocannabinoid system has only been studied in depth over the last decade. Scientists discovered that there’s a nexus of cannabinoid receptors on cells throughout the entire body that interact with cannabinoids and can be key in managing disease. So far, they recognize two types of receptors.

CB1 receptors reside in the brain and link with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical derived from the Cannabis sativa plant. This explains the “high” that someone experiences when they use it.

CB2 receptors cover cells everywhere else in the body. They receive two cannabinoids: Cannabidiol (CBD) which is also derived from Cannabis sativa and beta-caryophyllene which is largely present in Copaiba essential oil (also in black pepper, clove, melissa, and rosemary essential oils, but in a smaller amount) . CB2 receptors support the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and immune systems and are responsible for healthy inflammatory response.

CB2 activation does not create a psychoactive experience like CB1 receptors, so one becomes very relaxed but not “high”.

Many of our health issues these days are due to stress, or too much time spent in a sympathetic nervous system state (flight or flight) as opposed to the parasympathetic state (rest and digest). We also have issues with lowered immunity or auto-immunity. Then there’s pain and inflammation that have many causes. CBD and beta-caryophyllene from Copaiba essential oil both create beneficial systemic effects that help manage symptoms of these health challenges and increase our body’s capacity to heal.

Efficacy of Copaiba Essential Oil vs. CBD

One of the reasons Copaiba sets itself apart from CBD is that it’s cannabinoid binds directly to CB2 receptors! Beta-caryophyllene is quickly available for the body and has a long half-life, meaning it lasts long in the body.

CBD, on the other hand, binds indirectly after several internal processes, which means it takes longer to provide symptom relief. The longer activation cascade of CBD also make dosage confusing because the amount of CBD that’s activated is not always consistent. CBD has a shorter half-life than Copaiba’s beta-caryophyllene

Generally, a smaller amount of high-quality Copaiba essential oil is needed for beneficial effects compared to CBD. You get what you pay for in both industries. But even the more expensive therapeutic-grade brands are still a less expensive option than CBD because of the dose difference.

Research Supporting Copaiba Essential Oil

Exciting research shows that Copaiba essential oil can help with many health challenges!

Check out these studies to learn more:

How to Use Copaiba Essential Oil

Here’s some ideas of how you can use Copaiba essential oil for holistic health at home.

Aromatic

Place a few drops in a water diffuser to relax your mood. It blends well aromatically with Lavender, Douglas Fir, Frankincense, Peppermint, Clary Sage, and many other essential oils.

Topical

Combine 3-5 drops of Copaiba with 1 oz. of carrier oil like Fractionated Coconut Oil and massage into target areas of the body.

Another fabulous benefit of Copaiba is that it enhances the effects of other essential oils. Try these powerful combinations:

Blend with Deep Blue to massage into any painful or inflamed regions of the body
Add into moisturizer along with Geranium and Frankincense to care for blemished, dry, or wrinkled skin
Massage into soles of feet along with Vetiver to support deeper sleep.

Internal

Take 1-2 drops of therapeutic-grade Copaiba essential oil under tongue or in a vegetable capsule with olive oil to access all of it’s health benefits.

Have you used Copaiba essential oil? Please share your experience in the comments! I’d especially love to hear if you’ve been able to compare it to CBD. Which do you prefer? Well wishes to you…

Boost Energy, Chronic Disease, Emotional health, Meditation, Natural pain relief, Natural Remedies, Natural Sleep Support, Personal Development, Pregnancy, Women's health

Why Float Therapy May Be The Best Holistic Practice For You

Want to release stress, dissolve tension, and spark your creative juices? Float therapy in a sensory deprivation tank can bring you all of that as well as deep peace of mind! I highly recommend it and here’s why…

Float therapy has been popularized by athletes, celebrities, and other influencers who want to condition both their bodies and their minds. This is something we all can be striving for though!

Yes, there are several modalities that can do that too: the mindful movement of Yoga, the energetics of Taichi or Qigong, skilled massage, and of course Meditation. However, these methods are not attractive or accessible for everyone (like my dear husband!). I believe floating is a happy medium, where most people can experience peace without feeling like they need to learn special skills.

What is Float Therapy?

I had a vague idea of what floating was when Anna from Insight Float invited me to try out their services. I knew it involved two of my favorite things – water and relaxation – so of course I quickly accepted!

When booking my appointment on the website, I learned that Insight Float has two different sized tanks. Each of them provide two very different experiences. Rumi, the larger, custom-made one, is best for pregnant women and athletic recovery. Lilly Pad, the standard tank, is best for people who want to feel more grounded and is best for those experiencing anxiety. I decided to book Rumi, just to make sure I had enough space to move.

At my appointment, I was warmly welcomed by Sarah. She gave me a thorough 10 minute orientation about the floating experience that quickly turned my fear into fascination.

The float tanks are filled with 10 inches of body-temperature water, in which 1200 lbs. of epsom salts have been dissolved. The salt water matches the pressure inside the body, allowing one to float and feel perfectly balanced.

My Experience with Sensory Deprivation

I entered the water with nothing on. My legs effortlessly floated up, allowing me to rest back suspended by the warm water. I had brought in a floating light, but turned it off after a few minutes once I started relaxing.

The sound of my breath was amplified in the silent space. I stretched out my inhalations and doubled the length of my exhalations, making a conscious effort to let go of tension.

I became distracted as I started noticing pain in my upper back and neck. With my arms above my head, the tightness in between my shoulder blades quickly dissolved, but the pain in my neck became more pronounced and pinpointed. For about 10 minutes I fidgeted, massaged, and wondered if I’d ever get comfortable (not unlike my struggle with seated meditation!)

There was a shift when I realized I was spending too much time focusing on discomfort. I was saying to myself, “this would be perfect if only I didn’t have this pain in my neck.” Once I acknowledge this, I went back to my breath, knowing that I could still appreciate this simple moment regardless of tension. I don’t know how much time had passed, but when I brought awareness back to my neck, there was no more pain!

From that moment on, which was about 30 minutes into my session, I slipped into the deepest meditation since before I had my son (back when I’d go on silent 5-day retreats!).

Soft music ended my session. As I sat up, I almost started to cry. I had tapped into something really big here, not just for myself, but for my family, friends, and clients. I wanted everyone to know about this therapy and it’s possibilities for healing!

My First Appointment at Insight Float

Benefits of Float Therapy

I felt grounded, clear, and confident for days after my first float therapy session. There are even more benefits of floating than what I experienced though! Here’s a list of possible effects that sensory deprivation in a float tank can create:

Clarity of mind
Reduced pain and inflammation
Relaxed muscles
Balanced emotions & improved mood
Flow of creative thoughts
Relief from pregnancy symptoms (swelling, pain, agitation, etc.)
Clear skin
Regulation of blood pressure
Improved immunity
Deeper sleep

What do you think? Are you up for trying float therapy too? I’d love to hear about your experience once you do! Please let us all know in the comments.

Well wishes to you…

Chronic Disease, Emotional health, Environmental Concerns, Essential Oils, Kids Health, Natural pain relief, Organic lifestyle, Toxin-free living, Women's health

Why Is Everyone So Excited About Essential Oils?

There was a time in American history when essential oils were only used by traditional healers, massage therapists, and subculture flower children. But now, we have modern families, business owners, and even medical doctors using them in their homes and professions. Why is everyone so excited about essential oils these days?

Here are 5 reasons why I believe essential oils are back to stay! After reading them, you may decide to incorporate them into your lifestyle too!

Why essential oils popular?

1. We need alternative healthcare

Essential oil knowledge was lost when modern medicine became popular in the United States. This is because people used to think Western medicine was more evolved, and therefore should have greater respect. Some innovations, like life-saving surgeries and fertility procedures are truly miraculous. However, this standard of care is only focused on palliative measures. It doesn’t address the root cause of health imbalances. We need and expect more.

We’re realizing that Western Medicine is not making us healthier. We are wising up and asking:

WHY is this happening to me?

WHAT does my body need to be healthier?

HOW can I maintain health?

Nature, traditional medicines, alternative health practitioners, and your own intuition are the best guides.

Essential oils are gifts from nature that help support physiological functions, improve mood, control infections, and thereby add to our health.

2. Essential oils are effective alternatives to toxic products

We are living in a toxic soup that triggers many health problems in our population. Visit EWG.org to learn more about pesticides, herbicides, antibacterial agents, and other threats in our environment. They’re still legal in the U.S., even they disrupt hormones, destroy gut flora, decrease immunity, and cause cancer. Therefore, it’s up to manufacturers to remove them from their products or up to consumers to stop buying them.

Essential oils can clean our homes and bodies. Many families make their own home and personal care products using essential oils. There’s also some trusted companies who provide ready-made products using essential oils. These are safe and effective replacements to toxic conventional products found on grocery store shelves.

3. Essential oils have been used effectively for thousands of years

Did you know essential oils have been used from the beginning of history? Ancient Chinese, Indian, Greek, and Egyptian civilizations prized them for their beauty enhancing, spiritual, and therapeutic value. So even though they are new to Americans, that’s not so in the rest of the world.

Our culture is starting to respect older modalities like my profession of Chinese Medicine, as well as using Essential Oils. I would not call it a trend. Americans are just now seeing what has always been around – an awakening of sorts!

4. People want to feel empowered & resourceful with health choices

Many people these days don’t believe that “doctors know best”. It’s important to have a health practitioner as a guide or for a different perspective. However, most people have the awareness to know when they’re well or not though, and whether it’s an emergency. They know how to research and experiment with natural remedies and determine if they’re working.

Moms in particular, want to trust their instincts more. They want to be resourceful and feel empowered with their choices, just as our ancestors were. They know their children better than anyone else! It’s easy for them to use essential oils and they’re accepted well by their children. Experience shows them that essential oils work well to manage illness in the family and to boost their health.

5. There’s tons of research to support essential oil efficacy

Each year, hundreds of research studies validate essential oil efficacy. Here are just a few that show essential oils can improve one’s health naturally:

Certainly, the excitement behind essential oil use is backed by a compelling need! Do you want to try them out too? Visit my natural products page for more information on the oils I recommend. With over 20+ years of experience using them, I can help answer any questions you have as well!

Essential Oils, Kids Health, Natural pain relief, Natural Remedies, Women's health

Learn How To Make This Natural & Effective DIY Healing Salve

What do you do when your kids get cuts, scrapes, bites and bruises? How do you handle an injury at the gym or another acute, but non-emergency challenge? Essential oils are a better option for tissue repair than antibiotic ointments that encourage our modern day problem of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Essential oils can also help with muscle repair and circulation, helping the body to heal itself. Learn how to make an effective DIY natural healing salve so you can be prepared! You’ll be using it more often than you think!

My body was put to the test last week when I pulled a calf muscle in tennis class that left me unable to walk normally for several days. Even though it was extremely painful, I knew that it wasn’t serious enough to see a doctor and that I had everything I needed to heal myself. One of the greatest tools I used in my natural health arsenal was application of therapeutic-grade essential oils 2-3 times a day in the form of a healing salve. It’s been a week and my calf is already operating at ~ 90%!

Salves can be infused with dried or fresh herbs. Or you can use essential oils, which are much quicker and easier to incorporate! Salves are especially soothing because nourishing carrier oils are used to keep the herbs on the skin longer so the plant medicine can penetrate through.

I suggest using beeswax pellets, which are less complicated to measure than the block beeswax I used for this recipe. If you must use beeswax blocks, you may want to use a cheese grater to shave it off in smaller pieces since cutting the block with a knife is very difficult and you risk hurting yourself (and your knife!)

Listed below are some of the best essential oils for your healing salve (choose 1-4 for this recipe). I would suggest you combine them based on function, not necessary how well they smell together! Only use therapeutic grade oils. See my essential oil website page for more information about the brand of oils I stand by.

Essential Oils That Support Healing

Lemongrass – muscle tension relief & repair
Marjoram – muscle tension relief, soothes nerves, promotes relaxation
Copaiba – calms nervous system, powerful antioxidant, supports a healthy inflammatory response (contains betacaryophyllene which binds directly to CB2 receptors like CBD oil but without the psychoactive properties).
Peppermint – helps resolve pain
Lavender – one of the most versatile oils, helps relax muscles, supports healthy inflammatory response & tissue repair.
Helichrysum – supports the body with blood clotting and tissue repair
Myrrh – soothing for the skin, an ancient health aid
Cypress – increases circulation of blood & energy

Basic Healing Salve Recipe

Ingredients:

8 oz. cold-pressed organic coconut oil
1 oz. beeswax (pellets are best)
1/8 tsp. vitamin E (optional)
40 drops therapeutic-grade essential oils (I used 10 drops each of Lemongrass, Marjoram, Peppermint, and Copaiba)
8 oz. glass jar

Instructions:

Place coconut oil and beeswax in a double boiler and melt completely under low heat. Remove from heat and add vitamin E (if using) and the essential oils. Immediately pour into the glass jar. Allow it to cool completely before putting on the lid. Store in a cool location, where it should last 1-3 years.

beeswax coconut oil essential vitaminE salve

Voila! It’s that easy. You will be so grateful that you took the 10 minutes to make this salve! I’m eager to hear how it works for you. Please let us all know in the comments! Well wishes to you all…

Emotional health, Essential Oils, Natural pain relief, Natural Remedies, Pregnancy, Toxin-free living, Women's health

Essential Oils To Help You Manage Your Menstrual Cycle

Menstruation is such fine-tuned wonder in women’s physiology. In this article, I teach you about using essential oils for menstruation. They’ll help you stay in touch with your body as you regulate your periods and avoid harmful medications.

Why Support Menstruation Naturally?

Regular periods with little-to-no-discomfort signify good health and fertility. Why don’t we celebrate this dance between hormones that help create potential new life? Yes, there is the inconvenience and possible mess. But the main reason most women dread their period is because pain and other symptoms of imbalance accompany it.

Treating symptoms with conventional medicine is challenging. Medical doctors do not have answers for women experiencing difficult periods other than birth control pills and pain medications. Both types of pharmaceuticals have major, negative, long-term side effects. It’s always best to consult with your doctor first to rule out any serious issues. Usually though, natural medicine is safer and more effective.

Essential Oils for Menstruation

For those seeking to manage the mild symptoms of menstruation naturally at home, essential oils are a fantastic option to explore. Below are the oils you’ll want to keep handy to manage the most common complaints. They’ll help during your flow, and also during the premenstrual phase and ovulation as well.

The essential oils can be used topically on the area of discomfort (3-4 drops diluted in ~ 1 T of carrier oil). They can also be diffused to help balance emotions that are often at the root of many physical complaints. Feel free to blend them together too!

Geranium

(Pelargonium graveolens)

A sweet, harmonizing oil, geranium has been used since ancient times for regulating menses and for menorrhagia (excessive blood loss during menstruation). It continues to be a valuable oil for PMS symptoms such as agitation, nervous tension, cramping, headaches, backaches, stressed-adrenals, etc. It can help resolve endometriosis as well.

Try this technique for painful or irregular periods:

Spread a drop of geranium on your foot arches, layer with castor oil, and cover with a sock. This covers important points in the Kidney and Spleen acupuncture channels on the foot that help regulate menstruation. The castor oil has an invigorating effect, helping to move blood & ease stagnation (which shows up as pain).

Mild cases: apply 2x/day for 10-14 days, then 1x/day for 30 more days
Moderate: apply 2x/day for 30 days, then 1x/day for 2 more months
Severe: apply 2x/day for 3-4 months, then 1x/day for 4-5 more months

Clary Sage

(Salvia sclarea)

Clary sage is regulating oil that is known for calming nerves and cooling inflammation. It helps with dysmenorrhea, PMS, headaches, frigidity, and depression. It also soothes the GI organs, resolving bloating and gas.

Ylang Ylang

(Cananga odorata)

Ylang ylang is a sedative for the nervous system, yet a stimulant for the circulatory system. So, it’s very calming, yet invigorating for the blood and musculature. It relieves tension, improve libido, regulate hormonal balance, and can lift a woman’s spirit.

True Lavender

(Lavandula angustifolia)

Everyone is familiar with lavender, as it’s considered one of most versatile essential oils available. It can help a woman immensely with menstrual discomfort. It’s indicated for PMS, headaches, migraines, cramps, depression, nervous tension, insomnia, and even gas.

Some of you may have heard that lavender has estrogenic effects and should be avoided by men. That is a myth addressed in this article by well-known Aromatherapist Robert Tisserand: Lavender Oil Is Not Estrogenic

Sweet Fennel

(Foeniculum vulgare)

Lavender does not have estrogenic effects, but fennel DOES. It can actually increase milk supply in mothers, is valuable in the transition to menopause, but should be avoided by pregnant women.

Women experiencing amenorrhea (skipped menstrual periods) as well as dysmenorrhea benefit from Fennel. It also helps with gastrointestinal problems many women experience during ovulation and menstruation such as constipation, stomachaches, nausea, and flatulence.

Roman Chamomile

(Chamaemelum nobile)

Roman chamomile is one of the safest essential oils, yet it is also potent and has a huge therapeutic range.

It helps cycling women with dysmenorrhea, headaches, migraines, nervous tension, and also with calming the mind and spirit. Thereby, it helps support a restful night sleep.

If you experience difficult periods, I hope you’ll consider using essential oils as a natural remedy to ease your discomfort. Perhaps you can appreciate this special time in your life even more. Essential oil brands differ greatly in quality and thereby efficacy though. You can view my recommendations here.

I’m eager to hear how essential oils are helping you manage your menses! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments! And if you enjoyed this article, please share with friends who can use this advice as well.

essential oils for menstruation

Emotional health, Essential Oils, Meditation, Natural pain relief, Natural Remedies, Women's health

Essential Oils For Calming The Mind and Soothing Tension

Even though essential oils have been used all over the world for thousands of years, they’re still unfamiliar to many modern Americans. Luckily for all, there is a new wave of interest . People are discovering that they do much more than offer a pleasing fragrance. Essential oils can support one’s physical, emotional, and mental health in a natural way, free of side effects and addictions. In this article, we’ll discuss the best essential oils for stress, a condition most of us need help with!

Recently, I’ve been working with a technique called Aroma Acupoint Therapy in my TCM clinic that combines essential oils with acupuncture points. I’m finding that the effects are so profound that for children & sensitive adults, this method is a fine substitute for acupuncture.

The treatment I do the most is for relieving tension and calming the spirit. If this is something you need too, then I highly suggest using the following oils alone or as a lovely blend.

All are safe used neat, in their concentrated form, if using on specific body points as I do with acupressure. But for beginners, it may be easier to dilute the oils in a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, to spread across a larger surface of the body. The bottom of the feet is a great place for topical application of these oils. This helps you ground your energy, relieve tension, and also activate many systemic reflexology points.

Or, simply place a few drops in a diffuser and let your brain’s olfactory perception of these oils help melt away the tension.

Essential Oils for Stress and Tension

Bergamot

This oil, derived from the rind of the fruit, has both calming and uplifting properties. It’s perfect for when one is feeling anxious or depressed. Like most citrus oils, you must stay out of sunlight, avoiding UV rays for up to 12 hours after topical application.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the oldest oils, used by Romans & Egyptians when bathing, cooking, relaxing, and as a perfume. It’s a must-have for modern people who experience restless sleep. In addition to diffusing and spreading across the bottom of the feet, you can place a few drops on a cotton ball and place under your pillow when you’re ready to snooze.

Marjoram

It’s not just a tasty culinary herb! The essential oil of marjoram supports the nervous system, having a sedative effect and also eases sore muscles. Apply it to the back of the neck or wherever tension is showing up in your body.

Blue Tansy

The chemical chamazulene creates the brilliant blue shade of Blue Tansy, also known as Moroccan Chamomile. Blue tansy can be diffused to uplift your mood or be massaged into the skin to relax muscular tension.

Cedarwood

Cedarwood is a very grounding oil that can help move tense energy down and out from the neck, shoulders, and upper back when applied to the feet.

In order to receive the greatest benefit, it’s important to use “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade” essential oils. Unfortunately, due to loose regulation, there are many oils on the market that have been adulterated even though the labels say they are 100% pure. Visit my Natural Health Products page for my suggestions and support.

Have you used essential oils for calming the mind and soothing tension? Please let me know about your experience in the comments! Well wishes to you…

Natural pain relief, Natural Remedies, Uncategorized, Women's health, Yoga

Gentle & Effective Yoga Sequence For Low Back Pain

A gentle & therapeutic yoga practice can be very effective in resolving both acute and chronic low back pain. In fact, biomedical researchers have recognized the benefits after reviewing 8 years of research and are now recommending yoga as a first-line treatment for low back pain.

Below is a sequence that I often prescribe to clients once the pain is starting to diminish after treating with heat, acupuncture, and rest. One needs to be able to get up and down from the floor with ease and without fear of re-injuring the area.

The aim of this practice is to strengthen the muscles along the spine by extending it and to strengthen the core muscles all around the spine in neutral postures. If done daily, these postures can help restore the natural curve to the low back, allowing a bulging disc to recede back into the spinal column. And it restores blood and energy flow to the area which helps prevent future injury.

Each shape should be held for at least 5 deep, even breaths.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) & Upward Salute (Urdhva Hastasana)

Mountain Pose

Mountain pose establishes good posture. With the feet together or hip width apart, place your weight over the center of both feet. Engage the quadriceps, lifting the kneecaps. Ground down energetically through the tailbone until you feel the lower belly engage, but the tail stays back (not tucked under). Stand up straight so that the natural curve of the low back is present. The chest lifts, as well as the crown of the head, while the shoulders depress away from the ears and arms stretch heavily to the floor.

After several breaths, see if you can lift the arms alongside the head while maintaining the strong support in the lower body, as in the picture below. Nothing should shift except for the lifting arms and a stronger engagement in the belly.

Upward Salute

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Chair pose – front

Chair pose – side

With feet hip-joint width apart and parallel, bend the knees while keeping the torso up about 45 degrees with the floor. The tail stays back and there’s just enough of a tuck to engage the lower abdomen. You should feel supported both in front and in back of the spine.

If holding this shape is too demanding, place your tail against a wall. The hands can also come down to the hips.

Box Pose

Stand facing a wall. Place the hands on the wall in front of the hip points. Leave the hands there as you walk the feet back, bringing the torso parallel to the ground and hips over the feet. The hips are tilting forward as the inner thighs stretch back, bringing the hips to 90 degrees with the floor and attempting to leave the natural curve in the low back.

Warrior 3 (Virabhadrasana 3)

Warrior 3 Pose (Virabhadrasana 3)

If Box pose brings relief, then go ahead and try this more demanding shape. Bring the feet together, still under the hips and extend one leg back. Press out strongly through that leg, engaging the buttock muscles to lift, not the back and core so much. You’re pushing into the wall and back through the leg with equal energy. The back toes face the ground so the hips remain level (don’t let the lifted-leg-hip rise higher then the other). Repeat with the other leg.

Camel (Ustrasana)

Camel pose

Place the knees under the hip joints and hands at the waist. The tops of the feet can be flat to the ground or you can be on the back of the toes. Ground down with the tail as you reach the chest up and extend the spine. If it feels safe for the neck, extend the head back too.

There are many variations and levels to this pose. Remember, this is a therapeutic practice, so the goal is not to reach the hands to the feet as we do in the full version of this pose. Actually, you may want to isolate the hip flexor, core, and spinal muscles by doing the pose against a wall to remove some of the complexity of the shape (as below).

Camel pose against wall

Lunge (Ashva sanchalanasana)

Lunge – hands down

Tight hips can be part of the issue if low back pain is a common occurrence for you. We should all be lunging everyday to counter the stagnation that pools in the hips from long periods of sitting in chairs. Lunging keeps the hips open and supple, which then frees up the lumbar spine above.

Come into this shape from table pose with the knees under the hips and wrist under the shoulder. Step forward with one leg and align so the ankle is under the knee. Stretch the hips as far forward as possible while sending your tail back with the knee behind you. Once this become neutral for the hips and back, increase the intensity by bringing the hands to the front thigh and the torso upright (see below).

Upright Lunge

Locust variations

prone backbend locus shalabhasana salabhasana

locust pose shalabhasana

Locust is an essential pose for strengthening the back and restoring the lumbar curve. The single-legged variation is my favorite.

To begin, start in Sphinx pose by coming to the floor in a prone position and prop yourself up on your forearms. Engage the quadriceps so you feel both kneecaps lifting and the tops of the feet press into the floor. Your belly lengthens forward as your chest lifts slightly. If this is difficult, stay here and breathe until the sensation in the back becomes neutral.

Proceed by lifting one leg, isolating the strength of the buttock muscles first, then recruiting the low back muscles at the top of the lift. Hold for a few breaths, then switch sides. You can then continue by moving with the breath: lift a leg on the inhalation, lowering as you exhale and alternating until the low back feels supple and warm.

locust pose shalabhasana knees bent low back pain

Locust pose w/ knees bent

Another effective variation of Locust is also a preparation for Bow pose. This brings even more energy into the low back.

From a prone position, stretch both arms back with the legs. Bend the knees, keeping them in line the hips (not going wider) and let the big toes touch. Ground down with the pubic bone. On an inhalation, lift the thighs, torso, and arms. Stay lifted as you continue to breathe for several cycles. Rest prone with the head turned to one side, then repeat.

Bridge

Bridge pose

Roll over so you are now supine. Bend the knees, bringing the feet in close to the buttocks, hips joint width apart. Arms are stretched down toward the feet. Lift the hips, keeping the knees squeezed in and the sacrum wide. There is a tendency here to let the knees splay out and this is indicative of a weak core and may bring added pressure to the low back. Keeping the inner thighs toned here will keep the core strong and the low back area safe.

If you have space, interlace the fingers beneath you and squeeze the shoulder blades together, stretching the chest up toward the chin while keeping the neck long.

After releasing this shape and resting supine again, it may feel good to come into happy baby pose or hug the knees into the chest

Inverted Lake/Legs up the wall (viparita karani)

viparita karani inverted lake legs up wall

Inverted Lake/Legs-up-the-wall Pose

It may take some finesse to get into this pose with a bolster, but it’s definitely worth trying. Place the bolster horizontal at the crease of the wall. The next steps kind of happen all at once… just try and you’ll see what I mean. Face sideways with the wall away from the bolster and lift your outside hip up onto it while you gently swing your legs up the wall and center the back of the hips over the bolster.

You can play with the position here. Some people like the bolster to rest just under the sacrum. Others like to roll it further away from the wall so it supports the lumbar spine (this is a deeper backbend).

Let go completely into the Earth while the mind stays bright and alert. Perhaps a feeling of gratitude may arise in your heart for this wise body that is asking to be cared for more deeply. Trust that as you rest, energy is moving where it needs to go, moving you into physical and energetic balance.

May you experience deep peace here on every level.