Flowing Through My Ankylosing Spondylitis Diagnosis

I began dancing at the age of eight. Around the age of 16, I realized that I had almost constant back pain. Unfortunately, I assumed that the pain I was feeling was due to overworking and overstretching as a result of dance. Luckily, my ballet studio had previously introduced me to yoga. As time went on, I realized that I woke up with almost no spinal mobility in the morning, and it took hours to be able to get moving. I started using yoga as a daily warm-up to regain mobility and get on with my day. When I was stressed and my back pain was unbearable, yoga provided relief both physically and mentally.

In 2018, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and other related diseases. While there was a sense of relief that I finally received answers, I struggled with processing the diagnosis – especially since I was used to being so active.

I continued my yoga practice and was able to regain most of my mobility. My yoga practice provided me with the mental stability and inner strength needed to understand how to deal with this disease and fight it. It also provided me with the mobility and strength necessary to slow progression. In addition, yoga helped me listen to my body.

In 2020, I decided to finally pursue a long-time dream and become certified in yoga instruction. In August of 2020, I became a Certified Yoga Instructor and a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. In October of 2020, I completed my Chair Yoga certification.

I have always wanted to help others. Since yoga helped me so much with my ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis – from processing it mentally to regaining mobility and quality of life – it is important to me to share what I learned and help others experience the benefits of yoga.

My business, MonteGo Wellness, offers yoga and will soon offer Reiki and Ayurveda. I currently teach online yoga classes and in-person classes in San Diego, CA. My classes emphasize proper alignment, and I provide modifications to make yoga accessible to everyone. I also incorporate affirmations and encouraging quotes into every class, upon which my students can choose to reflect. Education about poses, benefits, and contraindications is provided to make students comfortable practicing yoga on their own – even if it’s just a few poses. My favorite part about teaching is bringing someone to the mat who never thought they could do yoga, and watching them walk away feeling successful and smiling.

I’d like to share below some of my favorite poses to practice for spinal strength and mobility. A few quick disclaimers: Please check with your physician or PT before starting any exercise routine; start slow, only doing what feels comfortable; and do not force yourself to do anything that causes pain.

• • Extended Child’s Pose – Kneel with knees wider than hip-width, with big toes touching. Extend the arms out in front. Send the hips back toward the heels, and bring the chest and forehead toward the floor. Keep reaching through the arms. Inhale to lengthen the spine. Long exhale to reach forward.
    
    • Benefits: Stretches hips, thighs, ankles, spine, arms, shoulders, and chest; relieves stress and fatigue; relieves back and neck pain
    • Contraindications: Knee injury or pain
    • Modifications: Place a blanket under the knees or feet. Place a bolster or pillow underneath the torso to support the body. Place a folded blanket or bolster between the backs of the thighs and calves. Bring the knees together for more support.
    • Chair Variation: Sitting in a chair, place feet flat on the ground with knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hinge from the hips forward and bring the belly and chest toward the thighs, with arms hanging down by the sides of the legs or holding onto the legs for support. Another option is to open the legs to the sides slightly.
  • Staff Pose – Sit on the floor with legs extended straight out in front, feet flexed and toes pointing toward the sky. Place hands next to hips, arms as straight as possible. Make sure the spine is long, tailbone is reaching straight down, crown of the head is reaching straight up, and the core is engaged.
    
    • Benefits: Strengthens spine, back of legs, core; improves posture; stretches spine, shoulders, chest; helps in prevention of back and hip injury
    • Contraindications: None known.
    • Modifications: Sit on a blanket or bend at the knees. Practice against a wall.
    • Chair Variation: Sitting in a chair, place feet flat on the ground with knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Hold onto the sides of the chair, and sit up straight and away from the back of the chair.

• • Seated Spinal Twists – Find a comfortable seat. Inhale and reach the arms up, exhale and bring the opposite hand to outside of the opposite Bring the other hand behind the back, or wherever it falls. Pull the core in, roll the back shoulder back, and look over the back shoulder if possible.
    
    • Benefits: Lubricates, strengthens, and stretches the spine; massages internal organs; promotes digestion; tones the belly; helps to relieve lower back pain
    • Contraindications: Back injury or acute back pain; sciatica
    • Modifications: Twist without using the hand to the outside of the opposite knee. Don’t twist as far. Sit up on a folded blanket or yoga block.
    • Chair Variation: Sitting in a chair, move slightly toward the edge of the chair, and on an exhale, bring the opposite hand to the outside of the opposite knee (or wherever is accessible). Rest the back arm on the back of the chair or wherever it can reach.

• • Tabletop Pose – Kneel with knees under hips and hands on the floor with wrists under shoulders, fingers spread wide and clawing through the fingertips. Make sure your spine is nice and long, tailbone reaching back and crown of the head reaching forward.
    
    • Benefits: Strengthens spine, legs, arms, wrists, ankles, core; stretches and realigns spine
    • Contraindications: Wrist or shoulder injury or pain; knee or elbow injury or pain
    • Modifications: Place a folded blanket under hands, knees, or ankles.

• • Cat/Cow Pose – In tabletop pose, inhale and press away from the floor with your hands, while dropping the belly toward the ground and bringing the chest through the shoulders. Tailbone and chin reach up toward the sky. Exhale and pull the belly in and up while the tailbone rounds down and the chin comes toward the chest.
    
    • Benefits: Lubricates, strengthens, and stretches spine; strengthens shoulders, hands, wrists, legs, ankles; stretches and strengthens core; improves posture; stretches hips; stimulates internal organs; relieves stress
    • Contraindications: Wrist or shoulder injury or pain; knee or elbow injury or pain
    • Modifications: Perform this pose seated. Place a folded blanket under hands, knees, or ankles.
    • Chair Variation: Sitting in a chair, place hands on the knees and go through the same motion of pressing the chest through the arms on the inhale while looking upward, and concaving the spine and contracting the belly looking toward the chest on the exhale.

• • Bird Dog – In tabletop position, ground down through the left hand and top of the right foot. Extend the left leg back, lifting from the inner thigh so that toes point straight down. Extend the right arm forward, thumb up and pinky down. Pull the core in and hold for a count of three. Release back to tabletop and repeat on the other side.
    
    • Benefits: Strengthens spine, legs, arms, wrists, ankles, core, hips; promotes proper posture; increases mobility.
    • Contraindications: Wrist injury or pain; knee injury or pain
    • Modifications: Place a folded blanket under hands, knees, or ankles.

• • Sphinx Pose – Laying on the belly, extend the legs back behind with tops of the feet resting on the floor. Bring elbows under shoulders, forearms parallel to one another, and hands pressing into the floor. Press the pubic bone into the floor, and lengthen from the tail to the crown. Keep the head and neck neutral.
    
    • Benefits: Lengthens abdominal muscles; strengthens and realigns spine; firms buttocks; stretches chest and shoulders; opens lungs; invigorates the body; soothes the nervous system; therapeutic for fatigue
    • Contraindications: Acute lower back pain or injury; arm or shoulder injury or pain; recent abdominal surgery.
    • Modifications: Place a folded blanket under the forearms, hips, knees, or ankles. Try shoulder rolls backward from this position.

• • Plank Pose – From tabletop, extend the legs back and tuck the toes under. Straighten and lift the knees, engage the core, and reach heels back. Ensure the spine is long, pressure is in the hands toward the thumb and first finger side of the hand. Tailbone reaches straight back and the crown of the head reaches forward. Neck is neutral.
    
    • Benefits: Strengthens the spine, arms, wrists, hands, legs, core; improves posture; realigns the spine
    • Contraindications: Wrist injury or pain; knee injury or pain; high or low blood pressure; carpal tunnel syndrome
    • Modifications: Bring knees to the floor. Practice on the elbows. Place a folded blanket beneath knees or underneath forearms or hands.
    • Chair Variation: Facing the chair, bring your elbows to the seat of the chair and walk the feet back so that the body is on a diagonal. Pull the belly inward so that the spine is long.

• • Downward Facing Dog – From plank or tabletop, reach the hips toward the sky and press the head between the elbows. Heels reach toward the floor. Ears are in line with elbows, hands are shoulder-width apart, and feet are hip-width apart.
    
    • Benefits: Energizes the body; stretches shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, hands; stretches and strengthens the spine; strengthens arms and legs; helps in prevention of osteoporosis; reduces stress and improves mood.
    • Contraindications: Uncontrolled high blood pressure; eye issues such as glaucoma, detached retina, weak capillaries
    • Modifications: Bend the knees as needed. Place a folded blanket or pillow beneath the heels. Come down to the knees and practice puppy posture. Come down to the knees and bring hips back to heels for child’s pose.
    • Chair Variation: Facing the chair, place hands on the seat of the chair and walk the feet back to form the downward facing dog position so that hips are high, heels reach toward the floor, and arms are shoulder-width apart. Follow all cues as provided in the traditional downward facing dog pose.

Meghan Monte is a Certified Yoga Instructor and a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance. She is a Usui Reiki Master, as well as a spondyloarthritis warrior. You can find her, and her virtual yoga classes at montegowellness.com