Do you suffer from back pain? Back pain can really be the bane of our existence. To be sitting in the chair trying to concentrate on the task at hand can get very challenging with that persistent throbbing. The most common culprit of back pain is a weak core and tight back muscles.
It’s time to take matters into your own hands and get rid of that back pain for good. Before you try these postures, do see a doctor to get cleared for yoga practice and make sure that there are no underlying serious issues.
The following 5 yoga poses aims to stretch out the back muscles and tone the abdomen.
1. Cow Pose
How: Come on to all fours and as you pull your belly to the floor, look up slightly and bring the bum up as high as it will go.
Benefits: This pose helps widen the spine’s range of motion and reduce tension and stiffness build up over time. In addition, the front of the body is stretched, abdominal muscles tone up and digestion is improved as the digestive tract is gently massaged.
2. Cat Pose
How: From Cat Pose, reverse the arch of the back and as you bring the belly button up to the spine and round the back, look down and push the pelvis forward, scooping in the tailbone.
Benefits: The counter pose of the Cat Pose, when Cat and Cow Pose are combined it aims to improve the flexibility of the spine both forwards and backwards.
Also, the muscles and nerves along the neck and spine are stretched and lengthened, creating space between the vertebrae. In addition, the hips and other muscles in the back and shoulders are also stretched.
Yoga pose for back pain - more poses on the next page!
3. Camel Pose
How: Start in a kneeling position and place the hands on the lower back with fingers pointing downward. Lengthen the spine and create space between the vertebrae. As you lean the upper torso backwards bit by bit, engage the core, quadriceps and gluteal muscles, pushing the hips forward. Keep pushing the hips forward and keep engaging the necessary muscles. You may stay in that pose or reach for your ankles and lean the heel of your palm on the ankle of heel of the foot.
Benefits: It stretches and strengthens the shoulders and back. It also loosens up the vertebrae and relieves lower back pain. Overall, it Improves flexibility, especially in the spine.
However, please note that should you experience dizziness, do keep the head looking forward and not dropped back. You should also pay special attention to activation of the core, for without proper activation of the core; the lower back will bear the brunt of the pressure and contradict the benefit.
This pose helps open and stretch out the front of the body and tones the thighs and arms. As the front of the body opens, the abdominal organs are massaged and thus digestion is improved and constipation is eased.
4. Fish Pose
How to: Lying on your back with straight legs, place the hands palm down under the bum. Make sure the elbows are tucked in close to the sides of the body for support and prop the chest up. Allow the head to drop back and for the crown of the head to lie on the mat.
Benefits: The upper back muscles and neck are strengthened. And the front of the body is stretched and opened. This pose also helps with practitioners suffering from Kyphosis and asthma.
5. Wind Relieving Pose
How to: Lying on your back, keep the lower back on the mat and bend knees to hug them to the chest. Take slow and deep breaths, gently rocking the body from left to right.
Benefits: Space is created in the vertebrae and the muscles of the back and spine are massaged. Tension is eased in the lower back. In addition, the digestive tract is massaged, digestion is improved and excess wind is removed from the digestive system.
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Jessica Sinclair has always been exposed to fitness and sports. Her interests include taking part in marathons, obstacle course races and martial arts. She has Scoliosis; pain and numbness were a daily occurrence until she started practicising yoga. Jessica Sinclair is the founder and Yoga Teacher Trainer at Iha Yoga located at Race Course Road, Singapore.
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The post 5 Yoga Poses to Soothe Back Pain appeared first on PagePink and was contributed by Stylemaker Jessica Sinclair.
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