Q: I've been practicing yoga for over two months, but I still sometimes feel numbness in my body when doing poses. Also, last year I was diagnosed with a straightening of the lumbar spine's physiological curvature. It doesn't hurt usually anymore, but when doing deep backbends, like the plow pose followed by lying on the mat, I can't let my lower back touch the mat; I have to lift it a certain height to avoid pain. I'm wondering if this is related to my previous back problem, and what precautions should I take?
A: I believe your numbness is closely related to the health of your spine. For example, some people believe that the seventh thoracic vertebra, as a center for sensation, is closely related to numbness. You shouldn't do forward bends. The plow pose you mentioned (Figure 1) is actually a deep forward bend, not a backbend. You must be careful with poses involving forward and backward bends of the spine. Forward bends should be avoided; backbends should start small, such as the Sphinx pose, half cobra pose, and some poses that focus on spinal extension, such as standing forward bend with spinal extension (Figure 2). You should emphasize these. Start with poses that strengthen the muscles of your back to create a good environment for spinal function recovery. Gentle, slow twists can also be very helpful.
