At my school we have a 45 minute yoga class twice a week, and it is fairly advanced and challenging. I've noticed that on the days we do yoga, my back hurts for the rest of the day.
It isn't excruciating pain, but it is uncomfortable.
I am not flexible, so I really have to work to get into all the difficult positions.
My mom has scoliosis, and we have had my back x-rayed, and luckily I dont have it.
So I was wondering... the people here that do yoga, is it normal to have a sore back afterwards?
I will speak to my teacher about it, maybe she will go easy on me when we do yoga.
Thanks! :pibo:

You shouldn't be having back pain like that. You shouldn't be forcing yourself into positions, ideally the instructor should offer a variety of levels of difficulty, so you can go with what your body is willing/able to do on any given day--you really want to treat your back gently.

I would start by talking to your instructor, tell her about the pain you're experiencing and hopefully she can help you modify your practice to avoid it.

You shouldn't be having back pain like that. You shouldn't be forcing yourself into positions, ideally the instructor should offer a variety of levels of difficulty, so you can go with what your body is willing/able to do on any given day--you really want to treat your back gently.

I would start by talking to your instructor, tell her about the pain you're experiencing and hopefully she can help you modify your practice to avoid it.


i second it. sometimes the day after the practice i'll have a bit of muscle soreness from the stretching but nothing i would call "pain" and certainly not that same day, as though i had strained myself.

only do as much as you are able.

Pain in yoga isn't good. However, some tension in your back when you first start I think can be expected, you learn postures, and they teach you how to use muscles in your back that *I think?* most people don't use on a regular basis. (alot of people slouch?)

a lot of what has already been said is very valuable.

Yoga asanas are, by their nature, uncomfortable. They're not meant to be 'painful' in the sense that you have a sharp feeling that you are or are about to injure yourself. But, there should be tension or a sense of 'doing work' while doing yoga asanas.

The sort of discomfort that should come after yoga class is muscle soreness--the same soreness you would feel if you lifted weights or went for a run. It's normal to have muscle soreness because asanas are exercise. I often have muscle soreness from good yoga work outs, just as i have it from rock climbing or lifting weights.

If you have pain--both in the asana and lingering after class--that is in the tendons, joints, or along the bones, then you are doing the postures improperly. Your instructor should have adequate modifications, should understand through basic observation what you're doing wrong, how to fix it and modify the posture to meet your specific needs.

i suggest identifying exactly what you're feeling after practice--where it hurts and how it hurts--and then talking with your teacher about ti ASAP. ask him/her to modify the practice to your needs.