you asked

I want to know some moves to help with lower back pain. I am happy to say that Cobra position is no longer a painful problem but I get random bouts of mild lower back pain behind my hips. It is never severe, more annoying than anything else. My PCP offered pain relievers and muscle relaxers and I just don’t think it is bad enough to medicate myself everyday. I want to know what I do wrong (duh…sitting in front of a computer all day and habitually cross my knees under my desk) and how to correct it. - Megan H

a yogi answers

Dear Megan,
I definitely think you should explore alternatives to medicating yourself. First thing is to break the habit of crossing your knees as this will create imbalance and misalignment in your body, particularly in your hips. It is difficult to assess your case without knowing your practice, so I would definitely recommend that you speak to your instructor and ask them to guide you more carefully given the pain you are experiencing. Pay very close attention to your hip alignment when practicing yoga asanas, and avoid arching your back or exploring any back bends in your warriors – try to contain your core and your lower ribs in as much as possible and focus on squaring your hips even if this means you cannot move into the pose as deeply.

Back bends can help improve your strength, but these should also be practiced cautiously with a great deal of attention to alignment so that you are not compensating elsewhere due to misalignment. Good luck!

- Grace, lululemon Queen St. ambassador

what is ask a yogi?

Ask a Yogi is a yoga advice column that is published on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays. If you have a yoga question for future yoga panels, please email askanexpert@lululemon.com.

you asked

What do you think the best solutions for heavy sweaters are? Even in non hot yoga classes, I always end up drenched by the first half of class and while it’s a bit embarrassing, my biggest issue is that I slip in down dog and similar. I’ve asked yoga instructors before but they always shrug and say “it happens”. Thoughts? erin

a yogi answers

I LOVE hot yoga, and I am asked this question almost everyday in the power yoga classes that I teach. First: a good mat is key! lululemon’s “The Mat” is a mat specifically designed to absorb sweat... yes, it really absorbs sweat! I get a lot of heavy sweating men in my classes and they all love this hot yoga mat. When you are sweating a big puddle on your mat, then put down a yogitoes towel. These special yoga towels have little plastic nibs on the back so it literally stays on your sticky mat and won’t move. They actually ONLY perform well when they are wet, so I recommend spraying them with water when they are dry to get optimal usage at the beginning of class and in non hot studios.

Lastly, so much of slippage can be avoided by rooting down into your base in a more specific manner. For example, in down dog if you are collapsing into your outer wrist, it is very hard to not slip. Whether you are grounding down through your hands or your feet it is essential to spread your weight through as broad of a base as possible by spreading your fingers and toes and rooting down through all the knuckles. One more thing... make sure you don’t have any moisturizer on your hands or feet, and don’t wash your yogitoes towels with fabric softener!

- Kinndli, lululemon Oakville ambassador

Read the blog post: "Five Things to Know About the Mat"

Learn more about Kinndli and Power Yoga Canada.

View hot yoga clothes that help you deal with sweat:

• Hot Class Bra
• Happy Heat Short
• Silverescent Hot Class Tank

what is ask a yogi?

Ask a Yogi is a yoga advice column that is published on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays. If you have a yoga question for future yoga panels, please email askanexpert@lululemon.com.