Fitness

Use yoga to keep your spine strong and healthy

By: Gerry Lopez, as told to Mark Anders; Photograph: Ben Moon
[ Updated: Feb 20, 2009 - 6:19:10 PM ]

I can touch my toes easily these days, something that wasn’t possible when I attended my first yoga class 40 years ago. Paddling a surfboard every day had made my back muscles tight, and I tried yoga because, well, that’s where I thought the girls were.

I was attending the University of Hawaii then, which is when I found my guru, the yogi Swami Vishnu-devananda, who spread the way of yoga throughout the West. I was surfing a place called Pipeline, and because of that special break on Oahu’s North Shore, I ended up in a lot of surf movies. The flexibility from my yoga routine had simply made me a better surfer.

Today, at 58, I’m an active guy: I mountain bike, snowboard, or swim several times a week, and I surf when I can. If I tweak my neck or back, I recover quickly. The credit belongs to my yoga routine. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that the key to staying active is maintaining a flexible spine. Our spines affect almost all aspects of our bodies. Some guys I used to surf with have stopped because of spinal issues.

I practice yoga for several hours every morning before going to my shop to work. Most of my favorite yoga postures, called asanas, focus on the back. Holding them for 30 seconds stretches and strengthens the muscles surrounding the spine. Here are five good asanas for loosening your back muscles and feeling younger.

Gerry Lopez, 58, a former professional surfer, lives—appropriately enough—
in Bend, Oregon, where he makes handcrafted surfboards.

Learn more ways yoga can help you build the body you want.