Yoga for Back Care
This is a brief introduction to a little of what yoga can offer. We strongly recommend you seek out a yoga teacher in your local area to gain a greater insight.
Back pain is generally caused by two things: not moving enough, i.e. a sedentary lifestyle, or in the case of an avid sports-person, moving too much, in a repetitive, high-impact way.
Yoga helps build a strong yet supple spine as well as correcting postural misalignments. The subtle breath-work and relaxation practices of yoga can also provide chronic-pain sufferers with a powerful tool to manage their pain and their perception of it.
After a yoga class, many people say that they feel taller! This is because the poses work to lengthen the spine, creating more space between the vertebrae, which can help take pressure off the spinal nerves. Yoga also strengthens the stabilising spinal muscles as well as the deep ‘core’ muscles of the abdominals and pelvic floor.
Each part of the body is connected to and affected by every other part of the body. If you have a tight, rounded upper back, it may adversely affect and cause pain in the lower back. If you have inflexible hips or hamstrings, it can cause undue stress, and lack of movement, in the lower spine. Yoga works on a holistic level to mobilize stiff areas and strengthen weak areas in the body.
Some of the back-conditions that may be eased or even ultimately cured by a regular yoga practice include: scoliosis, sciatica, lumbago, degenerated or bulging discs, as well as neck pain. However, you’ll need to work under the guidance of an experienced, qualified teacher. Check out our Yoga teachers’ directory on this site to find a teacher in your local area.
Here’s a simple pose you can do to relieve general lower back ache, and may be helpful to release a sudden back- spasm. Lie on your back with both knees drawn up to your chest. Place each hand on each knee and gently circle your knees one-way a few times, and then the other, feeling your sacrum (back of your pelvis) being massaged on the floor. Alternatively, draw one knee up towards your armpit, interlacing your hands around the knee and extend the other leg along the floor, pulling the toes back towards you. Hold and breathe deeply for several cycles of breath. Then, switch legs.
Once you have done this simple pose why not make the effort to find a yoga teacher in your area. During my 11 years as a yoga teacher I’ve encountered many people who have come to yoga to help ease the pain in their backs and go on to discover many other wonderful things about yoga.
Article by Ana Davis anadavis(at)bigpond.com.au