In a world without limiting factors, I could probably sit and mosaic for days on end.  Unfortunately, my neck and back start to hurt long before I’m ever satisfied with how much work I’ve done.  Whether it’s bad posture, gravity, or Rumpelstiltskin’s curse I don’t know, but I do know that it’s awful and keeps me from being as productive as I’d like.

Fortunately, I’ve come across a couple things that have made a huge difference for me – yoga & a type of stretching called self myofascial release.  If you suffer from back & neck pain on account of, say, being hunched over working on a mosaic for hours, you owe it to yourself to do two things:

1. Read Yoga Rx: A Step-by-Step Program to Promote Health, Wellness, and Healing for Common Ailments, by Richard Usatine M.D. and Larry Payne Ph.D. 

This book includes special yoga routines for the back, neck, and shoulders that have helped me tremendously (plus, they’re really easy).  It’s also got lots of great info about breathing, meditation, and yoga routines for the treatment of other medical issues.

Try the routine for the back (takes about 20 minutes) as well as the one for the neck / shoulders (10 min.) every day for a week and I’ll bet you it’ll make a big difference.

2.  Secondly, try out a self myofascial release foam roller.  Seriously, these things work miracles.  Myofascial release is crazy good for your muscles – using one of these foam rollers is like giving yourself a mini deep tissue massage.  When my back is aching from mosaicing for too long and I don’t think I can take it anymore, I take a quick break for these upper back exercises.  I instantly feel better and can jump back into the mosaicing for another go.

So those are my two secrets, but I’m always on the lookout for more.  Fellow artists & creators – do you ever have similar back or neck problems?  How do you deal with yours?  Any advice for me?  Much obliged.