6 Yoga Poses For Back Pain

insider yoga staff | September 26, 2016 | Flexibility, Pain Relief | No Comments

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Achy Back? These Poses Will Provide You With Relief!

How long do you sit everyday? You may not realize it, but most of us are off are feet more often than we are on them throughout the day. Just set a timer the next time you start your day and run it whenever you are off your feet. Between driving to work, sitting at our desk, watching TV, and eating, there’s a lot of time spent sitting.

Sitting causes our shoulders to overwork themselves as our backs are rounded from sitting, which also leads to poor posture. This also puts strain on our lower backs which if not addressed, can lead to chronic pain in the neck and back.

One of the best ways to address pain in the back while also reversing the aches caused from excessive sitting is yoga!

The following article shows 6 poses you can do today to relieve lower back and neck pain.

See the poses below and be sure to pass these along to those suffering from lower back pain.

By Allie Flavio

1. Apanasana

Begin lying on your back with legs and arms extended long.

Exhale – bring both knees into the chest and clasp your hands around them.

Keep the back flat on the mat and draw the tailbone and sacrum toward the ground to lengthen the spine.

Release the shoulder blades down and broaden across the collarbone.

If comfortable, rock gently from side to side to massage the spine.

Benefits: helps keep the low back long, often used a counter stretch to backbends and spinal twists, and used as an eliminator of waste, toxins, and tension.

Cautions: avoid if recovering from abdominal surgery, hernia, spinal, knee, or hip injury.

2. Ardha Apanasana

Begin lying on your back with legs and arms extended long.

Exhale – bring both knees into the chest and clasp your hands around them.

Hold the right knee into the chest and extend the left leg long.

If comfortable, rock the knee from armpit to chest, then find stillness wherever is comfortable.

Keep the back of the neck long and shoulder blades pulled down away from the ears.

Stay for a minute, and then switch to the other leg.

Benefits: helps release tension in the lower back, hips, and thighs and aids in stiffness of the spine.

Cautions: avoid this pose if you have spinal injury or sciatica.

3. Supine Spinal Twist

Begin from the pose above and with the right knee into the chest.

Exhale – roll onto your left hip as the right knee softens toward the ground.

Extend your right arm out along the floor, shoulder-width height.

Keep the left hand resting gently on the right knee.

Let the right knee become heavy, slowly releasing further towards the floor.

Stay for 10 – 30 breaths.

Inhale – gently engage the low belly and bring both knees back to center.

Repeat the above steps on the left side.

Benefits: stretches the back muscles and glutes, massages the back and hips, hydrates the spinal discs, and lengthens, relaxes, and realigns the spine.

Cautions: if back pain or back injury is a concern, bring both knees together and twist to your body’s comfort.

4. Cat & Cow Pose

Begin in a neutral tabletop position – shoulders stacked over wrists, hips over knees, and knees hip-width distance apart.

Inhale into Cow pose – belly softens towards the ground, the tailbone lifts skyward, shoulders roll back, collarbone broadens, chin slightly lifts, and the gaze goes toward the ceiling.

Exhale into Cat pose – tailbone drops toward the ground, round the back, belly comes up and in, and allow head and neck to completely relax.

Repeat this movement 5 – 10 times.

Benefits: strengthens the low back with a lengthened spine, creates stability in the wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, and knees.

Cautions: for sensitive joints, support the knees by folding the mat or placing a blanket underneath them.

5. Forward Fold

Begin in Mountain pose and bring hands to the hips.

Exhale – bend the knees and release the entire body towards the ground.

Keep a bend in the knees – as deep or mild as you choose.

Let the chest, head, and neck completely relax and melt down.

Engage the quadriceps to let the hamstrings release.

Keep the weight in the balls of your feet and hips stacked over ankles.

Inhale – gently feel the torso lift and lengthen.

Exhale – release deeper in the posture.

Benefits: increases forward flexion in the spine and hips, calms the brain, relieves stress, headaches, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia, and deeply stretches the hamstrings and calves.

Cautions: if suffering from back pain or back injury, keep the knees bent and the body soft.

6. Downward Facing Dog

Begin in a neutral tabletop position like Cat/Cow pose above.

Spread the fingers wide and keep middle or pointer finger directly straight to the front of the mat.

Exhale – curl the toes under, lift the knees off the ground, send the hips back and high towards the ceiling, lengthen the arms long, chest melts down towards the thighs, and keep head and neck in-line with the arms.

Imagine the body is making a V shape here.

Keep the knees bent to allow expansion and relief across the low back.

Stay for as long as your heart desires, then exhale the knees back to the ground into a neutral tabletop position.

Benefits: energizes and rejuvenates the entire body, deeply stretches hamstrings, shoulders, calves, hands, and spine.

Cautions: those with severe carpal tunnel syndrome, late-term pregnancy, injury to back, arms, shoulders, high blood pressure, eye or ear infections should avoid or move with caution.