Yoga Benefits for Low Back Pain
Yoga benefits the body in many ways, especially when it comes to the low back and spine. Our spines hold our body upright and provide structural support, so it’s important to keep them healthy, flexible, and injury-free throughout our lives. Yoga can be especially helpful to the muscles that support the back and spine, such as the paraspinal muscles that help you bend your spine, the multifidus muscles that stabilize your vertebrae, and the transverse abdominis in the abdomen. Here are six yoga poses you can do to benefit your lower back health . Enjoy!
Yoga Can Improve Posture
Good posture doesn’t just make you look taller and slimmer; it can also help prevent pain. Practicing yoga regularly helps build strength in your back muscles, keeping them toned, which makes it easier to maintain good posture even when you aren’t doing yoga. Just make sure that if you have low back pain or any other injury, speak with a health care professional before starting a new exercise routine.
Yoga Can Prevent Low Back Pain
One of yoga’s most important benefits is its ability to prevent back pain. In a recent study, researchers from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) found that women who practiced yoga had less disability from low back pain than those who did not practice yoga. The OHSU team followed 168 women with moderate to severe low back pain and showed that those who participated in an eight-week yoga program reported a higher quality of life and decreased functional impairment than their counterparts.
Yoga Can Help Maintain Spine Health
Your spine is made up of 33 bones called vertebrae. During a healthy day, your back muscles are contracting and relaxing to support your body’s movements—bending and twisting as you turn to talk to your coworker or rising from a seated position in order to go get more coffee. The most important muscle group supporting your back and spine are called paraspinal muscles, which run along each side of your spine between each of your vertebrae.
Here are Five Yoga Poses for Your Back
Child’s Pose, Cat-Cow, Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head to Knee), Chair Pose, and Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose). Child’s pose helps relax your back muscles while stretching your spine. Cat-Cow stretches out your entire body in a very gentle way; you can either do it as a static stretch or gently move between both poses to transition from one side of your body to another.
How to do a Standing Forward Bend or Uttanasana
Start in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart. Inhale and lift your arms overhead, interlace your fingers, and straighten your arms. Exhale as you fold forward at your hips. Sink into a modified Uttanasana by placing your hands on blocks or a chair seat (as shown) instead of extending all the way to touch your toes; hold for 5 to 10 breaths. Release with an inhale and repeat 2 more times.
How to do a Seated Forward Bend or Paschimottanasana
Since most back pain stems from weak muscles and tight ligaments, poses that stretch these areas can be especially helpful in alleviating pain. Seated forward bends help to lengthen and open your spine, reducing pressure on your lower back. Seated forward bends also create space between each vertebrae in your lower back, allowing them to move freely. One of our favorite seated forward bends is paschimottanasana, or seated forward bend with a twist. To do it
How to do Side-Lying Spinal Twist or Ardha Matsyendrasana
A gentle twist is an effective way to gently massage and stretch your lower back, which is often a source of pain. This pose also strengthens your core muscles and improves posture. To do a side-lying spinal twist, lie on your right side with your legs stacked one on top of another. Stretch out both arms in front of you in line with your torso, palms facing up.
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