Freeing the Back, Rebuilding the Spirals

When people think of “back problems,” most assume the issue lies in the back itself. But here’s the surprising truth: much of our back pain actually comes from the front.

In Thomas Hanna’s day, he described the toll of hard labor; the kind of repetitive physical work that hunched and tightened the body. Today, our “hard labor” looks different. For many of us, it’s long hours at a desk, shoulders rounding forward, chest compressed, breath shallow.

The result? The back has to work overtime to hold us upright. No wonder it aches.

In my Myth of Aging series (which I am teaching right on in my online classes), we dedicate a full practice to the length of the back. We begin by opening the chest and front body, then sense what happens when the back is freed. With tension released, the back can finally return to its natural role: standing us tall, supporting us with strength, and giving us freedom of movement.

From there, we explore the spiral lines: those diagonal connections through the body that make walking (and so much else) fluid, efficient, and human. When these lines are balanced and awake, the spine doesn’t have to strain. Instead, it organizes around ease, symmetry, and support.

The myth is that aging means inevitable stiffness, hunching, or a bent spine. The truth is, when we release the patterns of modern life and reconnect with the body’s natural design, the spine can stand us tall for years to come.

If you read this in time and want to jump into the class, you can register here: https://www.comfyfitness.com/transform-studio