Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs

The Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Institute
Professional standards of quality-assured care, support and advice is offered by Institute registered teachers providing this specific 'best practice' back-care yoga course. The Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs Institute trains high quality, already-trained and experienced yoga teachers from different schools and methods of yoga in how to deliver the 'Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs' programme. The Institute is accredited nationally by the yoga governing body for Sport England and Sports & Recreation Alliance, British Wheel of Yoga, as a Recognized Centre of Excellence for Training and Standards and is also a member organisation of the British Council for Yoga Therapy. The Institute's Register of teachers can be viewed on www.yogaforbacks.co.uk.

Learn Life-long Self-Management Skills
Learn skills to improve your health for the long-term. Ask your GP whether this gentle, evidence-based, specially-modified yoga course is appropriate for you (show them the www.yogaforbacks.co.uk website). Enjoy helping yourself with this yoga “toolkit”, as many others have.

Yoga Class Format
The 12 x 90 minute class course comprises easy foundational yoga poses. Props such as a yoga block, blanket or belt are used to aid effectiveness and to ensure absolute comfort.

Why YOGA for Healthy Lower Backs?
You know exactly what you will get - the same yoga, taught in the same way, according to the same educational materials, as in the research itself. No need to wait until your next back episode recurs, before starting the course.
The course is designed to give you long-term benefits. You will be taught to bring postural improvements, mental focus and relaxation techniques into your daily life. In the research, benefits were still found a year after starting the yoga. Nine months after their 12-week course had finished, the majority of the research trial's yoga group were still practising yoga at home approximately 30 minutes twice a week.
Expect to pay more for these therapeutic classes than for general yoga classes because they are taught in smaller groups but with its educational, single course, self-management approach, 'YOGA for Healthy Lower Backs' is considered to be cost-effective.

Workplace Evidence-based Yoga for Reduced Absenteeism
and Cost-Savings
The research showed days off work reduced by approx 70% over a year from this single, lifelong self-management, 12-week course.

Support valued employees by helping them to improve their health with cost-effective education provided regularly by an experienced teacher.

Promote long-term healthy lifestyle choices effectively by giving staff tools to keep working creatively, energetically, productively, collaboratively and happily.
Reduce the impact of back pain and stress-related conditions on workforce and business - published research showed how offering a 'Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs' course was estimated to save £817 per annum per person in productivity lost (based on an average salary).

Testimonials
"I used to have 2-3 periods of time off work each winter due to my back pain - this year = none!"

"This course has taught me to lessen the frequency, duration and intensity of back episodes. Hurrah!"

This holistic motivational 12-week course is designed:-
to teach how to self-manage for the long-term
to address stress-management and relaxation skills,
to encourage an increase in physical activity, appropriate to the individual, to teach postural awareness and mindfulness,
to aim for other, additional to lower back health, positive physical and mental health outcomes.

NICE Draft Guidelines regarding its review of how NHS professionals should treat patients with low back pain stated in the first sentence of its Press Statement 24th March 2016 that:
'The draft guidelines recommend exercise in all its forms (for example, stretching, strengthening, aerobic or yoga), as the first step in managing low back pain'

The above recommendation was majorly influenced by our H. Tilbrook et al and LH Chuang et al research papers evaluating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of our group Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs course.

We welcome this first step to accepting yoga has a role to play in mainstream healthcare in the UK.

Resources
Relaxations CD (4-track) suitable as a stand-alone educational resource to reduce and ease tension and stress – www.yogaforbacks.co.uk.
(Please note, if you attend a 12-week course, the CD and the book will be likely to be provided as part of the course).