This month, we have been focusing on maintenance of energy. Depending upon the weather, the stressors of our day, how much we slept, what we ate, or the general state of our bodies and minds, the energy we need, may be very different.

Did you wake up roughly this morning, stiff from a poor night's sleep? Perhaps you forgot to buy coffee or tea for your morning cup on your weekly grocery run; you're feeling sluggish and the only thing you want to do is go back to bed or at the very least, sit and do nothing all day? You're in need of waking up your bones, your blood, your mind.

Or is it that you spent all day on your feet, serving customers, chasing your kids, running from office to office? Your mind is racing, your limbs are vibrating, and what you really need is a sense of stability, of grounding... a moment of silence to connect with the ground below your feet, with just yourself.

These are very different places to be and each of us has had these days in our past. There is a different requirement to stabilize ourselves and find that balance of energy. For this span of needs, let's turn to goddess pose.

Back pain. It comes in all sorts of horrible shapes and sizes... and usually at the worst times.

One of the biggest challenges with treating back pain is determining its cause. However, there are a handful of tools we can use that are likely to support a myriad types of back pain. Viparaita Karani, Legs up the Wall, is one of those tools.

But now maybe you're thinking, "I can't get onto the floor like that" or "That puts even more pressure on by back to straighten my legs that way". No problem! Whatever the concern, there is a krama, or level of modification, for any need.

In addition to the commonly pictured version of this pose (as above) there are many adjustments that may be a better support on a given day or for a particular type of pain. Some of the many options are listed below; pictures follow.