Namaste. I hope all has been well with you. I have recently had the dx. (Via MRI) of slight bulging disk at L 2–L 3 (bulges to the left), and also narrow neural canal at L4-L5, causing constant pain. Would you be willing to educate me as to which postures should be avoided or modified? And also, do you know of any yoga therapy which might be able to “put the disk back in”? I do have a body bridge, and could lie over it sideways (on the left side), which seems to me might help. I am very discouraged, sad and worried, and would appreciate your input greatly. I am going to go to a good acupuncturist, and maybe a chiropractor to try to help this. Thank you very much. S
There are many factors for disc not all bulging disc cause pain. In my experience the major factors for lower back pain are overwork, emotional struggles with intimate friends and dehydration. Increasing water to half your body weight in ounces per day and keeping to it for at least 3 months makes a major difference. Disc can be replaced but major need is for strength in all the supportive tissues. I cannot give you specific guidance in this format a face to face session would be required for that. MD analysis is helpful for me but is not enough and in the right direction I need to assess muscles and joint mobility. However contraindications are all extreme motions of backbends, forward bends, and twists. These are all safe when done with full breathing, learning to send prana to detect energy in the region, and awareness of what specific muscle you are stretching or strengthening in each pose. This information is found in my book under kinesiology of Asana chart.
Thus it is not that a specific pose is recommended but rather what muscle to work and how in each Asana. Often small misalignments in Asana are needed to generate energy flow to disc spaces. This is why classes rarely help with back pain. I find that gluteals and in general hip rotator muscles are often quite weak when they are assessed in an individual session. By custom designing the program I can often help people return to pain free movements. I am doing what I can to train people to do this; so far the group in Boston will have some graduates this fall. The training requires a lot of diligence and a 2 year commitment. I would suggest you read more on my archive website -- www.yogaforums.com for more comprehensive suggestions, it is searchable by topic.