Yoga for the back: simple asanas for pain (even for beginners)

 When your back hurts, it is recommended to reduce physical activity, but you cannot completely refuse it. We have collected the main rules and techniques of yoga for the back and spine for beginners and experienced - this direction is one of the most effective for relieving discomfort.

Yoga is the oldest system of improving the human body and spirit. In different versions, asanas can be strong and dynamic, as well as soft and fluid. Accordingly, the effect will be different with different implementation of the complexes.

One of the most common problems that come to yoga is back pain: muscle clamps, pinched nerve, intervertebral hernia or protrusion . And yoga is indeed the best tool for the treatment and prevention of factors that cause pain in the back. We will tell you how yoga for the back and neck will help for beginners and not only.

How yoga can help with back pain

1. This is a gentle practice that helps reduce lower back pain.

2. Yoga strengthens and stretches back muscles that can be tense, which improves mobility.

3. Helps reduce muscle tension, develop flexibility and strength, and improve balance and bone strength. Yoga stretches the back.

4. For lower back pain, yoga can be especially helpful for the muscles that help flex and stabilize the spine.

5. Improves emotional state. Slow movements and constant focus on proper breathing can improve the emotional aspect of back pain, helping to reduce anxiety.

Can home yoga for the spine hurt?

At its core, yoga, despite its spiritual component, is a form of physical movement, and, as with any other form of exercise, injuries can occur, especially those related to the back. The main problems often arise when people do not keep the right speed, in a hurry, leaving for one or another asana .

In yoga for the back at home (as well as in the gym), slow, controlled movements are very important. This will reduce the risk of injury.

Exercises: yoga for the back and spine (for beginners)

So, 3 aspects that help to cope with back pain:

1. Relaxation of fascial tissue and muscles

Fascia pass through our entire body - these are such transparent films that envelop the muscles. If the fascia is in tension, it seems to shrink, tighten the muscle, and a clamp or distortion appears. Tension can arise from physical factors, such as stress or drafts, and emotional factors, such as stress and nervous tension.

To straighten the fascial tissue, you need to press on it for a long time - massage or self-massage with a mfr-roll. Or the second option is yin yoga. This direction of yoga is quite modern, appeared in the 20th century. Asanas are aimed at soft articular and fascial traction. In each asana, it is necessary to linger for 3-5 minutes, where there is a strong pull, pillows and cubes are placed, and they are gradually removed, going deeper into the form. All forms, sitting or lying on the mat, in maximum relaxation. This practice can relieve spasms and clamps, relax the nervous system.

2. Traction of the spine

The next step is spinal traction . The following exercises are suitable here:

1. "Fold" - pashchimottanasana, or back stretching pose, sitting on the mat and standing.

2. Surya namaskar - a complex of asanas with breathing (vinyasa), Salutation to the sun.

3. Horizontal traction is the easiest and most effective.

The fold element (paschimottanasana) is also present in surya namaskara. When tilting the body to the legs, it is important for us to observe a few simple conditions. It is important to go into the fold in the joints, not in the lower back. In general, whether we go into a slope or a deflection, the task here is to build the entire spine from the coccyx to the very top of the head in a straight line. The secret that will help to accomplish this is to stretch all the time for the top of the head in the direction of the body, do not lift the chin and do not wring the neck , and all the inclinations occur precisely in the hip joints.

The position of the hips greatly affects the mechanics of the tilt. In order for the joints to work correctly, it is necessary to wrap the feet a little inward in a crease or a downward facing dog (from Surya Namaskara).

If it is difficult to go into a slope, you can bend your knees. The main thing here is the line of the back, straight from the coccyx to the top of the head. Next, it is important to firmly press the stomach to the front surface of the thigh, as if tightly catching the hips with the ribs, and after that, smoothly straighten the knees, without lifting the stomach from the hips in an inclination.

Horizontal traction is like a half-tilt. The body lines up in a right angle, and the body here must be brought in parallel with the floor. At the same time, the hands continue the lines of the body and stretch forward.

What to look for:

• Feet hip-width apart, clubfoot
• knees can be gently bent
• Tilt in the hip
• A straight line from the coccyx to the top of the head, the gaze is directed to the floor in front of you
• Shoulders push down from ears
• Head between shoulders
• We push the pelvis back, and with our hands we stretch forward

It is this exercise, when performed correctly, that includes the muscles of the cortex, stretches the spine so that there is a distance between the vertebrae, and forms the correct pattern when bending over.

If it is difficult to perform the exercise, you can lean on the back of a chair or a window sill with your hands, and try to rest with your buttocks and push against the wall. In this case, the load will decrease.

3. Strengthen core muscles

There are many different types of yoga with different benefits, but the styles that are more active and based on strength will be best for the core muscles: Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and yoga sculpting.

No matter which style of yoga you choose, you can develop core strength by consciously engaging your core during each exercise. Treat every movement as if it were your main move so you don't lose focus from pose to pose. Start by engaging your core muscles during the warm-up, maintain strength in the standing poses, and keep your abs active on the backbends to protect your lower back.