How Iyengar Yoga Helped Me Heal Back Pain from Scoliosis and a Herniated Disc
May 28, 2019 · Sonia Shaeri
I began struggling with back pain in college. I was pursuing a degree in art and graphic design, which meant long hours seated—drawing, painting, working on a computer, cutting frames, and using a printing press. I loved the work and still do. But my body did not.
I’ve never been particularly athletic or physically active. I’ve always been more of a bookworm and art lover. I had taken Iyengar Yoga classes before but hadn’t been able to stay consistent with it. So, like many others, I fell back on the little I remembered—mostly stretching. I was naturally flexible and leaned into that, still thinking of yoga as something that was primarily about stretching and perhaps a bit of meditation.
Fast forward to a trip to London in 1999. We walked for miles, took trains, attended music festivals, and slept in uncomfortable beds. On the long flight home, I experienced my first episode of severe back pain. Unlike previous aches, this didn’t pass. After seeing a few doctors, I received a diagnosis of scoliosis.
That diagnosis—disruptive as it was—turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It led me back to yoga. I had studied Iyengar Yoga a few years earlier and knew that’s where I needed to return. I dove into the practice with renewed focus and, eventually, enrolled in a three-year teacher training—not with the intention of teaching, but to better understand my back, my body, and myself.
Iyengar Yoga, by its nature, is therapeutic. Regular practice began to take root in me. The guidance of an experienced and trusted teacher is transformative. I began to perceive the nuances of my spine—and how everything else in my body relates to it.
That’s not to say that it has been an easy journey. Far from it.
The path of healing is rarely linear. I often experienced pain in class—but always felt better afterward. The discomfort in my middle and upper back had become familiar. But following yet another long flight—this one returning from my first trip to Pune, India, to study with the Iyengar family—I noticed something distinctly off in my lower back. I could actually feel a bulge in my lumbar region. It turned out I had herniated the discs at L4-L5-S1. When I shared this new development with my teachers, the intensity of the work shifted. I’ll never forget the efforts and compassion of my teacher to help me; physically lifting and adjusting my body in every pose to create traction for my spine—offering, through direct experience, a lesson more powerful than words: with discipline, devotion, and a sincerity in practice, I could take charge of my condition.
Over time, I came to understand that healing chronic back pain wasn’t about chasing a cure—it was about cultivating awareness and taking responsibility. Showing up consistently, day after day, and refining the way I practiced yoga for my back pain made a difference. The system B.K.S. Iyengar left us—the precise actions, use of props, intelligent sequencing, and deep alignment principles—is not only brilliant but a kind of non-surgical therapy for the spine. It’s a technology of healing. And it works when we apply it with care and consistency.
It’s our responsibility to seek support when needed, to engage with yoga intelligently, and—if we are compelled to teach—to truly see our students. To offer what has helped us, while remaining flexible enough to adapt the practice to another’s unique body and condition.
I’ve been fortunate to share this practice with others over the years, and to witness how therapeutic Iyengar Yoga can help people with scoliosis, sciatica, herniated discs, and chronic lower back pain begin to reclaim their lives. That remains one of the most meaningful parts of this path for me.
Want to learn more?
If you’re working with back pain, scoliosis, or a disc injury and are looking for a smarter, more structured path to healing, here are a few ways to begin:
Schedule a private or semi-private session tailored to your condition
Read what my students have experienced in working with me
Explore free video tutorials for back pain and alignment-based yoga