Yoga for a Healthy Back: Addressing Pelvic Asymmetry

Most people are aware that imbalances in the curves of the spine can lead to back issues. A lesser well known fact is that asymmetry in the pelvis equally can be linked to back pain or joint issues.

Asymmetries in the pelvis can set up a kinetic chain of compensations in the body, creating a negative effect on your hip joints, knees and feet, and in the upper body, affecting the vertebral discs and trunk balance.

Understanding the mechanics of pelvic asymmetry is particularly important for yoga practitioners. Yoga practitioners with a tilted or rotated pelvis may be unknowingly stretching too deeply into asymmetrical poses, which could result in pain and even long-term damage.

In this 3-hr. online course, noted back pain specialist, yoga teacher, and author of Healing Our Backs with Yoga, Lillah Schwartz will share decades of knowledge, personal experience, and alignment-based techniques and demonstrate a new and objective approach to relieving pelvic asymmetry and SI joint instability. The course is designed for yoga teachers and students with any level of yoga experience.

In the lecture portion, Lillah, a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), explores different types of pelvic asymmetry and identifies 4 different types of SI joint imbalances.  Lillah’s approach offers a unique approach through the Range of Motion Tests and a set of yoga poses she uses to help each individual objectively determine the muscular balance of their pelvis. By knowing which muscles are short and which ones are long, students gain greater certainty when choosing which yoga poses to practice and which to avoid.

Lillah offers 4 separate 30-minute practice modules with clear guidance to help you understand and apply yoga poses to your particular imbalances to create harmony and relieve pain.  You will learn poses to open, tone, and stabilize the muscles of the pelvis to relieve the pain associated with an uneven gait, pelvic rotations, and SI joint disturbances.

Module 1: How to awaken the psoas and unstick the sacrum (Hip series adapted from the Purna Yoga Hip Series created by Aadil Palkhivala)

Module 2: Poses to create pelvic and sacral stability

Module 3: Ways to open and balance the pelvic floor

Module 4: How to use yoga poses to build much-needed muscle tone and ongoing stability.

What You Will Learn

• Causes of pelvic asymmetry

• How to identify the signs of sacroiliac pain

• The relationships between the psoas and core muscles, the pelvic floor, and the posterior hip and gluteal muscles

• Basic anatomy of the SI joints and sacrum

• 4 main types of sacroiliac disturbance

• Insight into reliable alignment cues to establish structural support and balance

• Keys for observing and adjusting your alignment patterns and those of your student’s      

Also Included: 4 Yoga Practice Sessions

The course includes four 30-minute practice modules to help you understand and apply yoga poses to your particular imbalances to create harmony and relieve pain. Learn how to open, tone, and stabilize the muscles of the pelvis to relieve the pain associated with an uneven gait, pelvic rotations, and SI joint disturbances.

Yoga Practice 1: How to awaken the psoas and unstick the sacrum (Hip series adapted from the Purna Yoga Hip Series created by Aadil Palkhivala)

Yoga Practice 2: Poses to create pelvic and sacral stability

Yoga Practice 3: Ways to open and balance the pelvic floor

Yoga Practice 4: How to use yoga poses to build much-needed muscle tone and ongoing stability.

This Premium Course Includes These Bonuses!

• Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of both webinar sessions - both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.

• Transcripts of Both Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.  

This course qualifies for 3 non-contact hour CEs with Yoga Alliance.