Metaphysical

Baby's Got Back

Word Power

By Angela Carbone

 Do you sometimes catch yourself  casually strolling down a sidewalk and find yourself being careful to avoid the line creases marking the pavement blocks, because somewhere in the back pages of your mind there is a faint whispering of that popular superstitious rhyme, "Step on a crack, break your Mama's back?"

Let's take that old concept a step further, as we take into consideration a certain modern day belief system where it is said that thoughts are more powerful than things.  In fact, consider that; Thoughts Manifest Things.  And with that same line of reasoning, thoughts put into words have the capacity to manifest what is spoken.   So please DO be careful and watch HOW you phrase your statements.  

For instance, if there is a particular individual that you find bothersome, please find a different way of describing how you feel, rather than stating that 'so and so' is a 'pain in the back!'    Otherwise you may find that making such a claim may indeed literally leave you with a very real backache.

Cavemen

There is an adage that you are only as old as your back.  Picture how artists always depict prehistoric man walking hunched over.  It is now thought that the skeletons based on the assumption that a healthy caveman was naturally bent over, is now being replaced with the view that those found skeletons were due to arthritis of the spine. 

Just about every person will at one time, in one degree or another, for whatever reason experience pain in the lower or upper back region.

Solutions 

What to do!? What to do, you ask, to prevent such development? 
Well, for one thing it's time to take dear 'ol Mom to heart, when she would shout at you to quit slumping and sit up straight.  It seems she actually did know a thing or two to help you with this issue.  So...if you have gotten into a rotten habit of slouching, ask a comrade to be your very own personal posture police, so you don't continue to put increased pressure on your God-given spinal discs.

There is a list agreed upon by back experts, some is common knowledge and all of it is good for reminder's sake.  So, you can develop good habits for a long healthy back life:

Top Eight Tips for a Healthy Back

1.  Maintain a body weight that your spine can hold up with little effort.

2.  Don't be a couch potato...you 'know. "If you don't use it, you lose it."
3.  Throw away those, oh so stylistic, torturous 'Sex and the City' shoes.
4.  The harder the better, when it comes to what to sleep on (take that whichever way you like).
5.  When lifting an object, do so with bent knees and straight back and no doing the twist here, please.

6.  Have mercy and vary the shoulder on which carrying those overloaded purses and backpacks or when doing any repetitive body action.  You know what I mean--alternate, alternate.

7.  When working on the computer look the monitor straight center, in the eye, without having to stoop over.
8.  Intake enough calcium/magnesium for strong bone structure and believe it or not, being a smoker impairs blood flow, resulting in oxygen and nutrient deprivation to spinal tissues.  So quit!!

And now a word of sympathy for us large bosomed females who carry a steady heavy front load.  If you are in this blessed/cursed category maybe weigh the possibility of the the Dolly Parton example and gain benefit to the back by having breast reduction surgery. 

Envision it like a two-sided coin.   What affects the front affects the back and vice-versa and that applies to the tummy area also.

Sage Tools         

Keeping the back flexible implementing  a proper stretching routine is vital. Since I've been a yogi from way back, (pun intended) I can vouch for the back benefits of a regular Sun Worship sequence:

Head to Knee Pose &                                  Locust (like the insect) Pose

Forwarding-Bending Pose:                              & the Bow Pose:

 Wind-Relieving (just like it sounds- expect releasing gas) Pose:

Believe me these are very easy to do and you only stretch as far as is comfortable for you.  Being guided by a flesh and blood Integral Yoga teacher, like myself is best.  Otherwise I recommend acquiring instructions for the above Hatha Yoga poses and much more at Shakti  where you can purchase their excellent "Integral Yoga Hatha" book or choose from their video classes with various celluloid teachers and specifically regarding this article's concern there is available: Release Back Pain CD by Michael Gach.

A Little Outside Help 

To me, doing yoga is like giving yourself a self-massage.   I'm sure most would agree, it's also very pleasant having another person, preferably a trained caring intuitive one, place all manner of hands, elbows or even feet (preferably attached to a small body) on different pressure points or in a kneading/ hitting/dancing fashion releasing knots of tension/stress/pain, whether from physical and/or emotional or psychological from present or past causes. 

From  the many variety of massage styles, maybe rolfing (which utilizes the masseur's elbows) may be your cup of back tea.  Rolfing has been described as a gentle deep muscle balancing process that structurally aligns your body. 

According to Dr. Rolf, "By being properly aligned, gravity enhances personal energy and leads to a healthy body and a positive emotional state." 

Can you dig it - the body/mind/emotion connection which is gaining more and more supporters from all healing fields, old and new.

Whichever technique you choose, get some 'backbone' friends, get to it and in the immortal lyrics of our boomer buddies, the Beatles, "Get Back, Get Back, Get Back to where you once belonged. Yeah Yeah Yeah. Get Back." 

Yeah, reverse the aging process and "Get Back" to where "Baby's Got Back," don't cha know.

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