My back is better. The hurt is gone.
When I first started yoga, I feared for my back. I had sprained it years earlier, and sometimes it still gave me trouble. It wasn't long before I realized that with every pose, there really wasn't much that didn't involve my back. So I was cautious, and it took a lot of encouragement and a lot of baby steps before I got brave enough to progress. I was grateful for the pace and the patience of a class that allowed for this.
Soon my core got stronger which strengthened my back. Not long after, there was a photographer in the studio, and I was given a photograph of myself in a handstand with my back reflected in the mirror.