Trying Yoga for Back Pain? Then pick the RIGHT poses (Part 2)

Summary:

The shoulder stand sequence has been explained in detail as ‘the’ yoga exercise for back pain in the first part. Now we can proceed with the rest of the most apt poses of yoga that are applicable for back pain.

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FORWARD STRETCHES:

Wind relieving pose: (Vatayanasan)

This pose requires you to lie down on your back. Then take a deep breath and hold it. Then the right leg is folded at the knee and brought against the abdomen. While doing this the other leg should be maintained in a straight position. The same procedure is then repeated with the other leg and while concluding this exercise is done by bringing both legs against the abdomen at the same time. This exercise should be done for 5 – 15 seconds at a time.

Plough pose: (Halasan)

This exercise should be done by lying down flat on the back on a mat or blanket. The palms of both hands should be placed on the floor adjacent to the thighs. The hips and lumbar region should then be raised above the floor and the legs should be allowed to go above the head and beyond as far as possible. This should be done while ensuring that the knees of the legs are not bent. This exercise can be done from 5 – 15 seconds.

Forward bend: (Pashchimothanasan)

While performing this exercise one should lie down straight on the back on a mat or a blanket. The arms should be stretched out and placed vertically above the head on the floor with palms facing outwards. The legs and thighs should be held firmly on the floor and the body should be stiffened. The head and chest should then be raised slowly along with the hands and the body should be brought into the seating position. One can now exhale and bend forward in order to attempt to hold the ankles, heels or toes of the legs. As a final step the head can be buried in between the knees of the legs. This pose can be carried out for 5 – 15 seconds.

BACKWARD STRETCHES:

Inclined plane pose: (Purvottanasana):

The palms of the hands should be placed on the floor and at the same time the heels of the legs should also be placed on the floor. The abdominal region of the body should then be lifted off the floor and held mid-air for 5 – 15 seconds while doing this yoga exercise.

Bow Pose: (Dhanurasana):

This exercise is believed to be one of the best backward stretch poses in yoga. In this exercise one needs to lie down flat on the stomach on top of a yoga mat. The legs should then be bent over the buttocks and should be held with both the hands. The body should then be stretched backwards so that it rests solely on the abdomen.

Wheel pose: (Chakrasana):

After lying down on a mat the palms of the hands and the soles of the legs should be placed on the floor and then the body should be lifted above the floor so that the entire body forms a circular pattern. The head should be held firmly between the shoulders while carrying out the exercise and this exercise can be done for 5 – 15 seconds.

Spinal Twist: (Ardha Matsendrasana):

For this exercise one needs to sit on the floor with both the legs stretched out in front. Then the right knee should be bent and the sole of the right leg should be placed next to the left knee. The back should kept straight while the elbow of the left hand should touch the right side of the right knee. The left arm should then be bent until the fingertips of the hand can touch the right hip. While doing this the head should be twisted to face the right side.

This exercise requires one to twist the back; hence it is advised to carry out this exercise according to one’s own comfort level. This exercise can be done from 5 – 15 seconds.

Corpe Pose: (Savasana):

This pose of the yoga exercise is for relaxing the body. When this exercise follows the spinal twist one feels a high level of relief from the stiffness generally experienced. This can be understood only after one tries the exercises out.

The exercise requires lying down on the back motionless. This should be done with the hands and legs stretched slightly. A special pattern of breathing should be followed while doing this exercise which follows the order of inhalation – retention – exhalation this should be repeated five times and it should be done in the ratio of 5:5:5. While lying down for as long as one likes to this exercise also requires psychological exercise of the body. While lying down one should try to sense that the body is feeling relaxed. This can be done by saying to one’s own self that each body part is relaxed right from the toes and then moving upwards.

As the quote by Hippocrates goes “let your foods be your medicine” the same holds true for yoga. The consumption of a healthy diet is one of the major factors that need consideration while looking for solutions to back problems through the medium of yoga. The best things to eat are organic foods that consist of raw or cooked fruits and vegetables. This practice relieves one of constipation problems which can be assured since it has been witnessed by me. My father had suffered from chronic back ache for many years after which he took the advice of an alternative health consultant to eat raw fruits in place of a single meal and then follow it with a tea containing laxative elements after an interval of 2 – 3 hours. This resulted in my father experiencing a very good bowel movement the next day and as a result the back pain also subsided. This experiment is harmless and can be tried by anyone who wills to get relief from back ache.

With the hope that the knowledge about yoga poses that I have shared would be of use to a lot of people who suffer from back aches I would recommend you to try it out to experience true relief.

2011? Dr. Brendal Norris, Chiropracticbackpainrelief.org, Read other articles
about back pain and back pain relief at http://chiropracticbackpainrelief.org
for more answers to your questions about back pain, its causes, and cures.This article is from http://chiropracticbackpainrelief.org/trying-yoga-fo…t-poses-part-2/