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Back Pain in Yoga
The Science & the Myths
Making Back Pain Science Accessible for Yoga Teachers
"The spine is not just bone and nerves. It is the river that carries your life. Learn to see it, feel it, and protect it, and every movement becomes an act of grace. In that feeling, teaching stops being instruction and becomes transformation."
- Zahir Akram
The Back Pain Blueprint Teachers Are Using to Transform their Classes
Whether you’ve been teaching for years or still freeze when a student mentions back pain, this training changes everything. You don’t need to be a physiotherapist - just understand how the spine moves and how yoga can support it.
You’ll learn simple, science-backed strategies to keep students safe, reduce pain, and help them move with confidence - from their first class to their eighties. This is the bridge between science and tradition that lets you adapt any pose, for any student, in any class.
Once you see back pain through this lens, you’ll never teach the same way again - and neither will your students practise the same way again.
"I love Zahir’s teaching style - lighthearted, simple, yet crystal clear. I wish I’d had this during my original teacher training. Now, my imposter syndrome is fading fast."
- Jenna Frampton
Fast-Track Your Confidence in Teaching Students with Back Pain
Without Feeling Out of Your Depth
If you’ve ever felt unsure how to respond when a student mentions back pain, this training gives you a direct path to clarity. In The Back Pain Blueprint for Yoga Teachers, you’ll learn simple, science-backed strategies to adapt any class, any pose, for any back - keeping your students safe, supported, and moving with confidence.
No jargon. No guesswork. Just a clear blueprint that bridges science and tradition, so you can teach with precision, inspire trust, and help your students practise pain-free - starting from your very next class.
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CPD course with ZAHIR AKRAM
OM YOGA Magazine Yoga Teacher of the Year 2024 🏆
& author of 'Yoga - Madness or Meditation?'
Master all things Yoga and deepen your own practice with our
Online CPD courses designed to unlock anatomy, philosophy, sequencing, and self-discovory.
Meet your Teacher:
Zahir Akram
Zahir is the owner of the award-winning Akram Yoga studio in Surrey and recipient of numerous accolades, including Yoga Teacher of the Year at the 2024 Om Yoga Awards. Known for his work in teacher training, Zahir makes the science of yoga clear, simple, and accessible to all. His approach blends evidence-based understanding with the depth of the earliest tradition, offering a unique balance that empowers teachers to teach with confidence and authenticity.
"My goal is to empower yoga teachers through both science and the earliest traditions, so they not only recognise the best in themselves but also inspire their students to become the best in themselves."
Helping you go....
Find that intricate balance of Science and Tradition
My goal with this course is to strip away the confusion that surrounds teaching students with back pain. You don’t need to think like a physiotherapist or memorise every detail of spinal anatomy. You just need a clear understanding of how the spine moves, what triggers pain, and how yoga can support healing and mobility at any age.
This journey will give you the confidence to adapt your classes, the skills to keep students safe, and the clarity to teach in a way that helps them move with ease - not just now, but for decades to come.
The Simple Anatomy Method Yoga Teachers Are Using to Teach with Confidence, Clarity & Depth
Fast-Track Your Understanding of Yoga Anatomy
Without feeling Overwhelmed
If you’ve ever felt unsure about explaining the body in your classes, this course gives you a direct path to clarity. In Yoga Anatomy Made Easy, you’ll learn practical, easy-to-apply principles that make your cues safer, your teaching more confident, and your classes more impactful. No jargon. No guesswork. Just a clear blueprint that bridges science and tradition — so you can teach with precision and inspire trust from the very next class you lead.
Whether you’ve been teaching for years or still feel nervous explaining the body, this approach changes everything. You don’t need a medical degree or to memorise endless terms — just a clear, practical way of understanding how the body moves in yoga. Inside, you’ll discover the anatomy shortcuts that make your cues land instantly, your adjustments safer, and your students trust you more. This isn’t theory for theory’s sake — it’s the bridge between science and tradition that helps you teach with impact from your very next class.
Example learning
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Since 2013, our teacher trainings have helped hundreds of yoga teachers feel more confident in their words, cues, and teaching - both on and off the mat.
What You Will Learn
Science made Simplistic
Common Myths
For a long time, yoga suggested that a bendy spine = a healthy spine. But our understanding of how the spine actually works tells a very different story. In this CPD, we unpack the science behind backbends.
Pelvis Decoded
You’ll learn how the pelvis is often the root cause of lower back pain. How the pelvis "sits" in space and time-and on the mat-goes a long way toward helping students move in a healthier, more stable way.
Biomechanics
How does the spine move when we take away the soft tissue of the body? What does the anatomy really tell us? And is the spine designed this way, or is it simply a reflection of our evolution? This lesson will completely change how you view pain in your students.
Injuries
What’s the theory behind injury? How does demand × tolerance × recovery fit into the equation? You’ll learn how to guide students in a way that helps them better understand and work with their own bodies.
Modify Poses
It’s said that 80% of those who take up yoga do so because of lower back pain. In this course, we look at how to modify common poses-not to avoid discomfort altogether, but to help guide students out of pain and toward healing.
Video Learning
There’s so much more to explore. This course is packed with videos and visuals to help you fully grasp this science-led approach to back pain. And yes, you’ll have access to all the material for life.
Empowering Yoga Teachers through Education since 2013
Student Testimonials
What our students say about us
Here's What's Next....
If you’re like most yoga teachers, you’ve had moments where a student mentions back pain and you’re not entirely sure what to say or how to adapt their practice. And even if you have some ideas, it can be hard to know which advice is safe, what really works, or how to keep them moving without fear.
That’s exactly why I created The Back Pain Blueprint for Yoga Teachers.
It’s a clear, step-by-step approach that takes the guesswork out of adapting yoga for students with back issues. You’ll learn the essential principles that keep your classes safe, your students confident, and your teaching trusted - without drowning in jargon or complicated medical theory.
If you’re ready to teach with clarity and impact, this could be one of the most valuable courses you’ll ever take. And I’m confident you’ll feel the difference in your very next class.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Get this course FREE when you purchase the Science of Breathing Course
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Yoga is not about bending your body - it is about bending your perception. In this free course, we explore the ancient wisdom of the 1st yogi Shiva and his wife Parvati.
In this journey, Yoga is not a posture but a path to seeing life as it is. Through the lens of trauma and self-discovery, you will uncover a meaning of yoga that goes far beyond anything you’ve imagined.
Watch my video on Shiva below.
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Plus FREE Bonus Material
EVOLUTION
BRACING
INJURIES
Evolution
Understand how the spine has evolved and what that means for movement, posture, and safe yoga practice today.
Exclusive
Bracing
Learn how to stabilise and brace the spine to prevent injury and support students in every pose.
Priceless
Injuries
Master the balance between demand and tolerance in the spine so you can challenge students safely without overloading their backs.
MindBlown
Back Pain in Yoga
The Science & the Myths
Plus the FREE bonus material worth £79
Plus the Free Origins of Yoga Course worth £149
This price is for a limited time.
Was £499
"Once you see the Spine this clearly, you’ll never teach the same way again and neither will anyone who learns from you."
- Zahir Akram
Recent BLOG Posts
Still not sure? Read one of my blog posts and get a feel for how I teach
— no strings.
“Life is a continued learning process.
Each day presents an opportunity for learning.” 😊
I’ve dedicated half my life to understanding what makes us who and what we are. My studies have taken me from anatomy to philosophy—from the Greeks, who first dissected the human body, to the yogis who say we are not the body. This journey has led me from my parents' birthplace in Kashmir, to the bustling streets of Calcutta, and the serene landscapes of Nepal. I’ve broken down and dissected everything, from the mechanics of breathing to the intricacies of Bandhas.
I’ve had a complex relationship with yoga. I’ve loved it, critiqued it, fallen out of love with it, had enough of it—and yet, I keep coming back. My understanding of yoga isn’t just a collection of other people’s words or theories. It’s a tapestry woven from my own experiences, filled with moments of doubt, rediscovery, and personal growth.
Yoga has given me the strength to forge my own path, and that’s exactly what I hope to share with you. As the Sufis say, “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.” This course isn’t about rigid rules or seeking absolute truths. It’s about finding what feels true and right for you, with a heart-centered approach to learning.
ZAHIR AKRAM