Nowadays, mostly everyone is suffering from some sort of back pain, usually because of the lifestyle we are into, I.e. either sedentary desk job or bad posture.
Back pain not only hurts but also gets irritating if does not go away and hinders our day to day life. So, if you’re dealing with back pain, YOGA may be just what YOU ARE LOOKING FOR and might have been suggested to you by the doctors as well.
Yoga is a mind-body therapy that’s often recommended to treat not only back pain but the stress that accompanies it. Focusing on poses that stretch the back works on different muscles and help you gain more awareness. This will release any back tension you might be holding to and improve any imbalances and alignment issues that could be the root cause.
Practicing yoga for even a few minutes daily can help you.
Following are the postures along with correct alignment and steps accompanied by a video to come into a posture for better results:
What is the best yoga pose for back pain?
1-Cobra Pose For Back Pain (Bhujanga Asan) –
Performing cobra pose regularly with proper alignment can help strengthen your back and remove the back pain. Cobra pose uses the spinal extensors, hamstrings and gluteus maximus. This provides rigidly to our lower back, relieving us from back pain.
STEPS TO COME INTO THE Cobra Pose:
- Lie down on your belly in prone position.
- Toes pointing back, feet together and big toes touching and if possible bring the heels also together.
- Now, keep pressing the top of the feet, so that your legs become active, when your legs are active the knees come away from the mat and engage the quads.
- Keeping your hands besides your lower chest, fingers active and root of the fingers pressing down.
- Now, without pressing the palms, tuck the elbows closer to each other and as you inhale using the leg and back muscles lift the chest up.
- And then exhale and slowly come all the way with control.
- Perform this 5-7 times.
2-Crocodile Pose For Back Pain (Makar Asan) –
Crocodile pose relaxes our whole spine and back and leg muscles. This will help you to relief from back pain.
STEPS TO COME INTO THE Crocodile Pose:
- Lie down on your belly in prone position.
- Open your feet shoulder width apart with point the toes pointing out and heels facing each other.
- Then press the inner arch of the feet, lift your knees and rest the knees down (for adjusting the knees).
- And rest your forehead on the back of your palms. One palm over the other.
- For advanced posture, come to your forearm and tuck the elbow in to shoulder width distance.
- Now, place the palms on your cheeks and rest the chin on the palms.
- Remember, elbow not under the shoulder rather a little ahead of the shoulder.
3-Locust Pose For Back Pain (Shalab Asan):
The locust pose uses your gluteus maximus, rhomboideus, latissimus Dorsi and erector spinae. The posture provides strength to these muscles along with flexibility, help you to relief from back pain.
STEPS TO COME INTO THE Locust Pose:
- Lie down on your belly in prone position.
- Place your hands underneath your things, keeping the toes pointing back and together.
- Keep pressing the top of the feet and tighten the knees.
- Now as you inhale first raise your right leg up, keep pressing the left top of the feet without turning your hips to one side.
- Get your right leg down and as you inhale repeat the above step with the left leg.
- For final pose, now as you inhale raise both the legs up together, keeping the legs active and straight. Now as you exhale slowly get the legs down to the mat with control.
- Then relax your hands and your legs, can also relax in crocodile pose*
4-Bow Pose For Back Pain (Dhanur Asan):
The bow pose mainly engages and extends your gluteus and lower back muscles. This relieves any tension you might be holding on to in the back.
STEPS TO COME INTO THE Bow Pose:
- Lie down on your belly in prone position.
- Keeping the feet open, hips width apart.
- Now keep pressing the top of the feet, and tighten the knees.
- Now stretch your hands back besides your hips, back of the palms pressing down on the mat.
- As you inhale, lift the chest up by engaging the back and leg muscles. Keep pressing the back of the palms on the mat.
- And then bend the knees and garb your ankles.
- Keep pushing the legs back and lift your chest higher.
5-COUNTER POSE FOR BOW POSE is CHILD POSE (BAL ASAN)
The counter pose is necessary after bow pose.
STEPS TO COME TO CHILD POSE-
- Lying down on your belly, bend your left knee and turn the left knee out.
- Bring your left elbow towards the left knee and relax.
- Then perform with same with other leg.
- OR you can also go Shashank Asan (Modern Child Pose)
Performing the above postures will definitely free you from pack pain. Furthermore, to learn more about the postures, it’s alignment and therapeutic uses you can enroll to our Yoga teacher training courses.