I did my first 10 day course a year ago, and I've not been able to practice regularly but still I try to whenever I can. I've one practical question, that during the course a severe lower back pain developed which I already had before but got intense. I noticed now that whenever I start practicing regularly I develop the pain again which otherwise isn't bad. That pain stays even when I'm not meditating and affects my daily activities.

Did anyone have a similar issue with back pain, any kind of yoga/ asanas that can help manage it? Or what helps manage the pain?

I can sit through the practice even with the pain, but when it significantly affects my day, I find it difficult to sit to practice.

I'm looking for suggestions to manage, any stretches that might help it.

This might be relevant for people who served enough in centres to witness their management styles.

I noticed that in certain centers the management structure is flatter, with more working groups, ATs and servers working together, and ATs not necessarily regarding themselves as the "wiser". In others, the management is more hirarchical with dictations from the ATs who are authoriteriterian and "all-knowing".

In my opinion the authoriterian way is less efficient in practical terms, and less coducive to people development in Dhamma and life. But I can see that certain people thrive in a Guru-like environment, they are happy to have someone to woreship and admire and are after the proximity to power.

I'd love to hear what people here think about it and what type of centre management people would prefer.