Yoga with a twist: Elise Browning Miller shares poses for scoliosis in an exclusive interview

DO YOU EVER HAVE BACK PAIN? NECK PAIN?

If so, you may be one of the eighty-five percent of the population who has a lateral curvature of the spine known in more severe cases as scoliosis, which can often be accompanied by back pain and discomfort. Elise Browning Miller, a senior certified Iyengar yoga instructor, has dealt with this condition since she was sixteen months old. At that time, she fell down a steep flight of basement stairs and suffered what her physician thought was simply a broken nose. Years later, however, she discovered that her ribs had been knocked out of position, which contributed to her diagnosis at fifteen years of a 49 degree idiopathic (unknown cause) scoliosis. When she was in her twenties, after her first yoga session, she discovered that she was pain free for the first time in years! Since that time, she has dedicated herself to teaching others to care for their backs (as well as their emotional hearts) through the practice of Iyengar yoga.

Elise, at the invitation of Asheville, NC Iyengar teacher Cindy Dollar, recently completed a weekend yoga for scoliosis workshop in Asheville. Over thirty yoga teachers and students, many of them with scoliosis, participated in the workshop. Between her busy teaching schedule, the production of her DVD and booklet about back care, and her new book, Yoga Anytime, Anywhere she met with Cindy and Graham Williams, an instructor at Cindy's studio, to talk about her experience of working through back pain with the practice of yoga poses (asanas).

How does yoga help with back pain?

Although in the beginning you may feel some discomfort as your body readjusts to a new sense of alignment, eventually the practice of yoga postures with careful alignment will help balance the muscles and bones, taking extra burden off the muscles. My experience is that yoga can help strengthen the muscles that support the spine as well as create traction to lengthen the spine. It can also help cosmetically with posture and stabilize the condition.

Does a person have to have a daily practice? How long? Is it enough to go to class once a week? Is it enough to practice with a book or DVD?

I feel that it is very important to have a daily practice, particularly with a hack condition, even if it's for ten to twenty minutes. This adds up over a week. Going to class is also very important because you get input as to whether you are doing the poses correctly. This will benefit your daily practice. So ideally going to class once a week and also maintaining a practice even if it's only for a short amount of time. This is also important if you are practicing with a book or DVD, because with both you are not getting feedback as to whether you are doing the pose correctly. Having a yoga practice at home is giving you quality time with yourself. I look at it as a gift to myself. The hard part is getting started, so just make a pact with yourself to do a few poses and before you know it, you won't want to stop.

How is yoga different for people with scoliosis?

It's often hard to feel when one is balanced and aligned, even if you don't have scoliosis. However, in a person with scoliosis what feels aligned is often mis-aligned, and what feels mis-aligned is often balanced alignment. Because of the lateral curvature and rotation of a scoliosis, one has to treat each side of the body differently in order to find alignment. Also, one needs to not look for perfection in the poses but find one's own center and beauty in each pose. Just as we find beauty in an oak tree that has twists and turns, it's important to find that same beauty with our scoliosis.

How can yoga help people with scoliosis? Can yoga correct a curve?

This depends on your age, degree of scoliosis, and dedication. With an open mind and consistent practice, yoga can give people a tool to cope with their scoliosis. Yoga not only alleviates the pain but gives them a sense of empowerment. They gain confidence, strength and flexibility not only in their yoga practice but in life.

Are there any poses yoga students that have scoliosis should not do?

I do not emphasize sitting forward bends in the beginning because the tendency is to round the back which is the tendency with scoliosis. Also as a beginner, I believe hanging from a pelvic swing is better than doing headstand. When the arms and back muscles become strong then a student can approach headstand when working with a qualified teacher. Also a student should use at least three to four blankets under the shoulders for shoulder stand or use a chair for support. For beginners, I focus more on standing poses and poses that lengthen the spine and create more alignment. My next focus is on back strengthening poses and poses that help de-rotate the rotational component of scoliosis. The key is not which poses one should or shouldn't do but how to do the poses with alignment and in such a way to minimize the imbalances. My focus is to open the universe up to those with scoliosis, not to limit them.

There are lots of classes available now in gyms and fitness studios as well as at yoga centers. How does a person know what is the "right" place or system for them?

First, check to see what the teacher's credentials are, how long have they been teaching, are they certified. Also use your intuition and trust it. I always recommend taking classes from a yoga studio rather than a gym because usually the teacher is more qualified. Also, don't just settle with the first teacher you stumble on; take classes from different teachers and then decide which teacher and which class is best for you.

How is the breath important with yoga in general and with people that have scoliosis? Is the breath awareness different?

Throughout the years for me, the breathing has been a key to healing my back. It has brought me more present as I'm doing the poses. It's the link between the body and the mind. It is particularly important for someone with scoliosis because the ribs and waist are compressed on the opposite side from where the curve goes and this affects breathing as well as the heart in more severe scoliosis. If the curve goes to the right in the mid back, one needs to breathe into the left ribs and lungs to create a balance and evenness of the breath. As this awareness goes into the compressed side, the intercostal muscles begin to stretch making more room for the lungs and ribs to expand. Since the ribs are attached to the spine this can have a significant affect on balancing the spine.

Some teenagers I've taught who have scoliosis do not complain of any pain. Why should they do yoga?

This is a good question! Though there is no pain, yoga can be a preventative measure, statistics show that if you have been diagnosed with scoliosis as a teenager, the degree of curvature may increase. My experience is that yoga can help strengthen the muscles that support the spine as well as create traction to lengthen the spine. Also, it can help with posture and stabilize the condition.

Can yoga hurt someone with scoliosis? Could the movement of yoga increase my curve?

While any form of yoga can be therapeutic, individuals with scoliosis need to pay careful attention to their bodies' unique needs and practice in ways that help minimize the body's asymmetries. When practiced without this awareness, yoga can occasionally be counterproductive. This is why I recommend studying with an Iyengar teacher (or other well-trained instructor) who focuses on alignment and can help students make specific adjustments and modifications that support symmetry and balance.

Tell me about Yoga Anytime, Anywhere. Is that a book for beginners?

Yes, I wrote the book specifically for those new to yoga or too busy to take a class. It's intended to be a practical guide to help the reader put yoga into their lives rather than treating as yoga separate from the rest of their life. For example, there are step-by-step instructions and sequential photos how to stretch at work, home or school, before and after an aerobic workout, and even while on an airplane. I break the poses down and use props to make it more accessible for the practitioner. Also I have chapters that address special conditions such as lower back pain, weak abdominals, and overall stress. I begin each chapter with a breathing focus and end with a relaxation so each chapter can be done as a practice session. Also at the end, I give yoga sequences including a fifteen-minute routine as well as a sequence for each day of the week that focuses on a specific area of the body.

TRY THIS:

Utthita Trikonasana

Elise adjusts Graham, who has a right thoracic left lumbar curvature of the spine. In Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose), because of her scoliosis her emphasis should be different when she stretches to each side. When stretching toward the side of the concavity (for Graham that would he in the left thoracic and right lumbar), the emphasis should be on lengthening the spine to open the compressed ribs on the underside of the body and decrease the protrusion of the ribs on the opposite side. She needs to breathe deeper and lengthen the compressed lungs and ribs more than the protruding convex side. When stretching to the convex side (which would be the right thoracic and left lumbar for Graham) she should emphasize twisting to create more evenness on the sides of the back. As she bends from the hips to the left, placing a hand on a chair helps to spread out the ribs on the concave side (left thoracic) as she drops the right ribs in medially toward the spine so both sides of the body are parallel to the floor. Notice how dropping the right ribs spreads out the compressed left ribs.

Graham Williams has scoliosis and was in a back brace from sixth through twelfth grade. She is currently mentoring with Cindy Dollar in Iyengar yoga here in Asheville, has assisted Elise in three workshops, and recently completed scoliosis yoga training with Elise in California. She will begin teaching a yoga and scoliosis class at Cindy Dollar's new studio, One Center Yoga, in 2005. She can be reached at Cindy's studio at 828-236-0426.

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