I had a spasm on Sunday. It's actually been quite a long time since I've had one (about 1.5 years). I was all freaked out. Despite the fact that my doctor once said to me, "You have to remember, once you've injured your back, you're always the guy with the bad back. Be careful!" I somehow thought it would never happen to me again. Despite the fact that the last time this happened to me, I was flat on my back for two weeks and in pain for an entire month, I ignored his advice.I suppose I thought that because of my ashtanga practice (and my increased core strength and flexibility and so on and so on), I was no longer the guy with the bad back. So I hauled a 30 lb. bag of laundry down to the laundry room, plopped it in front of a machine, bent down (not squatting, or course) to start loading up the machine and...
CRUNCH! CRACK! SPASMMMMM!!!
It really sucked. I ended up laying down Sunday and Monday, but then by Tuesday... I was fine. No, really. I skipped ashtanga all three days, but I went back this morning. I'm totally still stiff, but I don't have any pain, and I did entirely reasonable versions of every asana. The only modifications E gave me were ones that helped to expand my lower back; I didn't have to do any "easier" variations. Sure, I didn't go as deep; sure, I took my time and added 20 minutes to my usual 1 hour, 20 minute practice; sure, I'll be working out the kinks for the next week or more.
But I'm not flat on my back, and I'm not in pain. It's got to be the practice, right? That core strength and daily opening must be helping to minimize my recovery time. So maybe I'm still the guy with the bad back, but I'm now the guy with the bad back who does ashtanga.
And for those who'd like to know, E walked me through Janu Sirsasana C to make it even more beneficial for my lower back (above is a clip of someone doing Janu Sirsasana A, B, and C). The gist is to be sure your hips are square, your Sitz bones are grounded, and that everything in the front of your body moves inward ("implodes" was the word he used). In other words, the thigh of your extended leg should push in against the twisted foot of your bent leg and vice versa. Mula and Uddiyana Bandha should be engaged. That way as you fold forward, your back spreads out. He had me do ten breaths on both sides instead of the usual five, and it felt awesome.
