The holiday season often brings to mind shopping, parties, visiting family and winter sports, but paying special attention to your back during this time is more important than ever. Every winter holiday season, approximately 1.9 million slip-and-fall injuries occur across the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of these injuries are to the back and result from people falling off ladders while decorating. Other potential back injuries can be caused by carrying heavy packages or luggage, shoveling snow, stretching at odd angles to decorate, standing in heels for hours at parties and sitting for hours while traveling.

Gary Kraftsow, founder of American Viniyoga Institute and yoga therapist, recommends spending just minutes a day to avoid injury and back pain this holiday season with some specific, simple yoga postures that prepare the body for the day and realign it at night. Perform these exercises in this order:

Cakravakasana (to warm up the body and to gently stretch lower back) Get down on hands and knees, with shoulders vertically above wrists and with hips above the knees. On inhale: Lift chest up from belly. Lead with chest, keeping chin slightly down. Avoid compressing low back; rather, feel chest expanding. On exhale: Gently contract belly, rounding low back and bringing chest toward thighs.  Round low back without collapsing chest over belly. Avoid increasing curvature of upper back. Let chest lower toward thighs sooner than hips toward heels. Repeat eight times.

Bhujangasana (to arch upper back while mobilizing arms and to warm up and stabilize lower back) Lie on belly, forehead on floor, with elbows bent and palms on floor in line with diaphragm, fingers facing forward. On inhale: Lift chest, arching back. On exhale: Return to starting position. Repeat six times.

Dvipada Pitham (to relax upper and lower back and to stretch between belly and thighs) Lie on back with arms down at sides, knees bent, and feet on floor, slightly apart and comfortably close to buttocks. On inhale: Press down on feet, raising pelvis up toward ceiling, keeping chin down, until neck is gently flattened on floor, while raising arms overhead to floor behind. Lift spine, vertebra by vertebra, from bottom up. On exhale: Return to starting position. Unwind spine, coming down vertebra by vertebra. Repeat eight times.

Apanasana (to gently stretch and relax lower back) Lie on back with both knees bent toward chest and feet off floor. Place each hand on its respective knee. On exhale: Pull thighs gently but progressively toward chest. On inhale: Return to starting position. Repeat eight times.

These are some of the same postures Kraftsow included in the two-DVD set of Viniyoga Therapy programs he created with Pranamaya, Inc. These DVDs cover understanding back pain, how to safely perform postures and movement, and focused practice for each target area -- upper back, neck, shoulders, low back, sacrum and hips.

Be conscious of how you bend, lift and carry items and don't overexert yourself; you only create stress on your muscles by carrying things that are too heavy or bulky for you to manage, Kraftsow warns. With an estimated four out of five people experiencing back pain in their lifetimes, according to the Mayo Clinic, prevention is optimal.

Kraftsow says, "Everyone would benefit from some simple yoga moves. It's like brushing or flossing your teeth; you don't need long classes. Spend five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. It's like simple back care hygiene. The key is consistency."

For more information on Gary Kraftsow, the Viniyoga Therapy DVDs or Pranamaya, visit www.pranamaya.com