I had chronic back pain for 13 years. Sometimes to the point of not being able to walk. After many years, I could "manage it" to a point but was often limited in what I could do actively. I kept asking my Chiropractor if there was anything I could do on my own to save my back and he always said no.

After being fed up with going to the chiropractor over and over and not getting better, I was convinced that there must be a way I could help myself. I found this book and another one. The first one did not really help. Then "Cure Back Pain with Yoga" arrived in my mailbox.

The next morning, I tried some of the exercises in the book. Then I ran about six miles without any pain whatsoever! I never see the Chiropractor anymore. I now have a great sense of when I have back pain what is the cause and how to fix it - a huge freedom. I run every morning and I have this book to thank for being able to do so.

To anyone with back problems, I recommend this book full heartedly.

The book is structured with a description of the conditions the yoga pose is intended to help. I had been unsuccessful in finding information about piriformus syndrome and found the book informative with helpful exercises.

I found Yoga being used in some therapeutic programs for my son. I also bought Richard Hittleman's 28 day program of yoga some time ago when I had decided to try to get back into shape and found it a great way to begin an exercise program.

I bought this for a friend who recently had back surgery. Apparently, he likes the book as his back pain is diminishing.

An excellent testimonial for this exercise as a happy alternative to surgery for common back pain

An excellent testimonial for this exercise as a happy alternative to surgery for common back pain

Thank you to Dr. Loren Fishman for this invaluable guide to preventing and curing back pain with yoga. The beauty of this book, unlike many others, is that it actually acknowledges that there are major types of back pain instead of lumping muscle spasm with arthritis or herniated disc, etc. This book respects the differences, and that is common sense, because what's good for back pain in pregnancy is obviously not the same as what will relieve the pain of a herniated disc. Dr. Fishman's approach is clearly safer and more effective.
For a beginner like me, the simple, lucid discussion of what yoga is was extremely illuminating. I found the explanations of the various types of back pain - arthritis, sacroiliac joint derangement, etc. - easy to read and coherent. . If you don't know what's wrong with you, Dr. Fishman steers you in the right direction with lucid explanations of causes of back pain, including muscular problems, arthritis, sacroiliac joint derangement, etc. He even provides advice (and yoga poses) for people who have recently had back surgery.
The poses themselves are described and/or shown for beginners or for those who are more disabled and at a higher level of difficulty for those who are more advanced. This book is a pleasure to read and to use.