Thoughts on 8 yoga poses for a bad back

Recently I watched a yoga video that suggested 8 yoga poses that would help people with back problems. The yogini was a talented instructor, who was very competent at instructing and demonstrating the poses. To an experienced yoga practioner, the flow she suggested was a good one for back issues, but some of the poses are intermediate while others are basics. 

The 8 poses she suggested, in order of the flow, were cat, downward doggy, plow, seating forward fold, plow, child’s pose, cobra, bow, and triangle pose. All of them are excellent poses, but I don’t consider them ideally connected all together in such a flow for my own usage.

I have often seen Cat position suggested to be done in sequence with Cow position. I find that a much balance for a simple basic position that causes the spine to flow through its full range of motions.

Downward doggy is just such a key pose, that it seems a shame to have a flow that moves into it without utilizing it more in connection with other poses that complement it.  Maybe the use of cobra position should have sequenced in after downward doggy flowed through child pose. 

The addition of plow and bow into the sequence are a bit more challenging. It turns what is basically a simple basic yoga sequence addressing back issues into a more intermediate level one. 

Still overall, it was not a bad sequence. I just found it easier to shuffle the poses and add so it was Cat, Cow, Downward Doggy, child pose, cobra, then work in plow or bow.