Yoga & Cantienica® with Imke Bona: Why your back still hurts despite yoga – and what can really help

Many people come to yoga for back pain, tension, or neck pain. Their hope: greater flexibility, fewer aches and pains, and finally a renewed sense of well-being. But sometimes the hoped-for change doesn't materialize.

A common reason for this lies deeper – namely, in how the body is used in everyday life . Even regular exercise only helps to a limited extent if posture, movement patterns, and body alignment remain unconscious. In her work, Imke Bona repeatedly observes that people no longer trust their bodies and have little awareness of them.

Gentle yoga with anatomical precision

This is exactly where Imke comes in - her goal: to help people to move easily again, to get up in the morning without tension, to be able to release muscle tension themselves, to feel stable and supported, and to understand their own body again.

Imke's approach combines gentle yoga with a deep understanding of functional anatomy. Through the integration of the CANTIENICA® method, a form of anatomical yoga is created that can be individually adapted and supports the body instead of overtaxing it.

On to Yoga and Cantienica® with Imke

Yoga and Cantienica®: Understanding movement anew

In her offerings, Imke combines yoga with the Cantienica® method developed by Benita Cantieni – a holistic body training that activates the deep muscles and supports the natural alignment of the body .

The focus is particularly on:

• Yoga for the pelvic floor
• Strengthening the back and abdominal muscles
• Improve posture and alignment
• conscious movement sequences

The goal is not to train higher, faster, or more intensely, but to straighten and stabilize the body from within. It's much more about precision, awareness , and a better understanding of one's own body.

Cantienica® as a guide to self-healing

For Imke, working with the Cantienica® method is far more than just supplementary training. She describes it as a "guide to self-healing" because it makes it understandable how the body works – and what is truly good for it in everyday life.

Understanding anatomical relationships gradually leads to a new perception: of posture, movements, and how one's own body is stressed or relieved.

This also makes yoga asanas clearer, safer and more anatomically meaningful to experience.

Here you can find out more about Imke's Yoga and Cantienica® offerings: www.imke-bona.de/yoga-cantienica

Improve your posture: Why body alignment is so important

Many people exercise regularly and still suffer from back, neck, or joint problems. Constant neck pain , stiffness upon waking, pain after standing for long periods, or the feeling of never truly relaxing often persist unconsciously.

Those who constantly "slump inwards" often put more strain on their joints, spine and muscles than necessary – even during yoga practice.

Those who want to improve their posture should therefore not only pay attention to movement, but also to the way the body is aligned in everyday life.

The Cantienica® method therefore works very precisely with body awareness and alignment. Small, conscious movements activate the deep muscles and support the body in reorganizing itself from within.

This allows:

• Joints and spine are relieved of stress.
• Mobility and stability increase
• Stresses are reduced
• Body awareness and posture are sustainably changed

Unlike many traditional training methods, Cantienica® focuses not primarily on visible muscle strength, but on activating deep-lying structures. These muscles often work unnoticed – but are crucial for healthy posture and stable movement patterns.

Especially people who already practice yoga or generally move consciously can discover a new level of bodywork here.

Anatomical Yoga: Tradition meets modern body knowledge

What Imke particularly appreciates about the combination of yoga and Cantienica® is that the asanas are not simply "copied", but are anatomically comprehensible and individually experienced.

The method supports the body's strengths while protecting its weaknesses. This results in a practice that can be both precise and gentle.

For Imke, Cantienica® forms a bridge between traditional yoga and modern anatomical understanding – without losing respect for the different paths of yoga.

How Imke found the Cantienica® method

Movement played an important role in Imke's life from an early age. After graduating from high school, she studied sports science and became a teacher. Yoga came into her life later due to her own physical challenges.

The yoga teacher training was a formative experience for her – however, the question of the deeper physical connections remained.

When she finally discovered the Cantienica® method, she was thrilled by the combination of anatomical precision, functional movement, and conscious body awareness. Since then, the method has complemented and refined her yoga practice – both on a physical and an energetic level.

Yoga with Imke: Perception instead of performance

Imke's classes don't focus on performance pressure, but rather on consciously arriving in one's own body. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed. Participants are meant to take a break from everyday life and have time to become more aware of themselves again.

The crucial point is this: it is not the intensity of an exercise that sustainably changes the body – but the quality of the movement.

Why the real practice begins in everyday life

A central focus of Imke's work is the transfer of yoga into everyday life. Because what matters is not only how we move on the yoga mat, but also how we sit, stand, walk , and use our bodies daily.

The combination of yoga and Cantienica® helps to develop new movement patterns and to better understand one's own body.

Or, as Imke herself describes it: " When I feel comfortable in my body, then I am at home."

Conclusion: A valuable approach to greater awareness of one's own body

The combination of yoga and Cantienica® opens up an approach to movement that goes far beyond classical training.

Instead of higher, faster or more intense, it's about perception, anatomical clarity and sustainable change.

For people looking for yoga for back pain , yoga to relieve tension, better posture, or mindful, anatomical yoga , this approach can offer a valuable new perspective.

If you'd like to experience how your body can feel lighter, more stable, and freer, or if you'd like to learn how to understand and release muscle tension, you can experience Imke's approach for yourself in a trial session. You can either be located in the Berlin/Brandenburg area or participate in a purely online session.

You can find more information directly on Imke's website:

www.imke-bona.de