Mike Love, the lead singer for the legendary Beach Boys, has spent a good part of his life on the road. No stranger to the pressures that come with being a part of one of the world's most enduring rock bands, Love at one time dealt with the stress by faithfully running five miles a day before breakfast. The time came, however, when all the pounding took its toll, and he ended up with several vertebrae that had been virtually destroyed by years of abuse. So he turned to a gentler form of exercise and relaxation therapy: yoga and transcendental meditation (T.M.). In the late 1960s a steady stream of youthful celebrities flocked to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Love learned T.M. from the Maharishi in Paris in 1967, then traveled to India the following year. As he began to study and practice yoga and meditation on a regular basis, he found that he was dealing with his stress and gaining a larger perspective on life. Now, nearly four decades later, he is a daily practitioner of both disciplines, and here he and his yoga instructor, Sheri Mattson, share a couple of yoga poses that Love finds helpful in dealing with his back problems. Equipment Yoga requires only minimal equipment, the basic investment being a sticky mat to provide a nonslip padded surface. A yoga mat generally costs about $12. You can also use a folded blanket to sit on and help relieve pressure on the lower back and a strap to help increase your stretching ability in certain postures. You should wear loose-fitting clothing when you practice yoga, and you need to be barefoot. The Sun Salute (Surya namashkar) - Generally the Sun Salute begins with the feet together, but to modify the posture, begin with the feet hip-width apart. Press the palms together in front of the heart (figure A). This is known as anjali mudra (anj means honor and mudra means a gesture).
- Inhale, opening the arms out and bringing them up until the palms touch over the head. Look up as the palms touch (figure B).
- Exhale, opening the arms back out and folding forward and down (figure C), listening to any tension in the back. If you need to, bend the knees a bit to get some spring in the legs.
- Slide the hands up to the knees and inhale deeply, lengthening the back out ( figure D). Try to imagine space between each vertebra.
- Exhale, lowering the still-lengthened spine as the hands slide back down to the legs. Inhale.
- Exhale and, bending the knees slightly, slowly roll all the way back up. At the same time, open the arms, sweeping them up (figure E) until the palms touch. As you do this, be sure that you're lengthening the spine and lifting up out of the legs.
- Exhale and lean forward, bending into the space in front of you and letting go.
Tips: - It's best to practice on an empty stomach, so try to stop eating two to four hours before your yoga class.
- With his type of back condition, Love recognizes the importance of giving the area movement. The slow, gentle breathing and postures of yoga allow him to stretch and energize his lower back without causing further damage.
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