Before giving my view on the best yoga instructors in Edinburgh for lower back pain / sciatica, it´s important to state that (at time of writing) we have no financial relationship with any of the instructors mentioned here. However, I do know them – otherwise I wouldn´t feel qualified to comment on their knowledge/approach. Also, for your sake, I´m delighted you´re thinking about yoga, as I´m a big fan, and have been practising at a very amateur level for 20+ years. But before you dive in, please read “Should I do exercises for lower back pain / sciatica?” on our partner website backpainandsciatica.co.uk. It will provide you with some invaluable guidelines to adhere to in any physical movement – not least The Number One Rule!
Now, assuming you´ve read that (and I really hope the yoga instructors have too!), let´s dive in.
Caroline McIntosh is an incredibly thoughtful practitioner who will go out of her way to accommodate your limitations and think about how best to gradually extend them. She specialises in one-to-one and one-to-two which is the best way to start (rather than in a group), especially if you´re a beginner and you have lower back issues. She also provides yoga in a corporate setting.
Karen Kirkness leads the team at Meadowlark, and with an MSc in Human Anatomy she has a deep understanding of backs. Again, you will find extremely high levels of empathy here, and a desire to accommodate whatever you bring to your yoga practice – including back pain!
It´s not quite in Edinburgh (North Berwick), but Nicola Bourke is the closest to Edinburgh providing the Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs program, which is a group class, run over 12 weeks and validated by research conducted by the University of York, and Arthritis UK.
If you´re a yoga teacher and think you should be included in our list of the best yoga instructors in Edinburgh for lower back pain / sciatica, please get in touch. I´d be delighted to review your offering too, although reserve the right to decide whether or not to include you. I will update this page as I become aware of other deserving yoga instructors.