Back pain is a very common ailment these days. Age is no bar with back problem ailments be it old or young, working or not working, women or men most of us suffer from it now and then.Back pain could be due to incorrect seating or working posture, working long hours at laptop, computer or at desk doing some paper work. It could also be due to improper movement, carrying baggage or heavy load or poor body mechanics. It is also sometimes due to over usage of back like in sports or heavy duty weight lifting or excessive working out; or due to lack of usage of back – people involved in desk jobs, adults being couch potatoes, etc. If it is very severe and continuous it could be due to more serious problems disc bulging or tumors.
Whichever the reason be, it sure paralyzes us from performing most of our jobs; even walking becomes a pain. We can pop up pain killers or keep getting massages done, use the hot water treatment or apply pain relieving gels, but the cure is never permanent. The back ache keeps coming back every now and then.
Yoga is a powerful therapy to cure and relieve us of back pain, and its benefits are multiple. Unlike painkillers and other medicines it has no side effects. Yoga helps not only in strengthening our back muscles or relieve us of pain but it is also helpful in improving overall stamina, alleviating mood swings and releasing of physical and mental stress. It also helps discipline the body and assists in maintaining an upright posture and movement of the body.
Like there are different medicines for different ailments, similarly there are different yoga exercises or asana for various diseases and disorders. Performing the wrong exercise or asana may not relieve or your pain, or worst still, it may aggravate it further. One should be extra conscious and aware of performing the right exercises for respective ailment and in moderation. Practicing yoga under a trainer at the beginning is always recommended.
Best Yoga Exercises For Back Pain
The Locust Or Shalabhasana
Lie down straight on a mat with your chin facing the floor. Keep both your arms at the sides, palms facing down and elbow slightly bent; let your toes touch the ground too. Keep the heels together inhale deep and slowly raise the legs and thighs off the ground. Raise it as high as you can without causing your back much pain. Hold it for few seconds and exhale. Get your feet back on ground. Repeat the process a few times, ideally 10 to 12 times.
One thing to make a note while performing this asana is that when you are lifting your legs off the floor, your abdomen and chest should be touching the ground. This exercise not only relieves back pain but is also very helpful in strengthening lower back muscles along with cutting down the fats in your lower half on regular practice. Also faulty spinal curvature can be corrected if following this asana with all diligence. Though caution should be practiced while performing this asana, one should refrain from stressing the legs or back muscles too much.
Fish Pose Or Matsyasana
Lie down straight on your back and bent your knees with arms at sides. Then you got to attempt at forming an arch from your back. Push your chest and abdomen up with the help of your palms and knees; make an arch from your spine. You can do it by slightly tilting your head and raising your back and by pushing floor with the elbows.
Your crown should rest on the floor. Hold the pose for few seconds, and perform rhythmic deep breathings simultaneously. This asana helps tone the spinal muscle and relieve us from the wretched back pain. It also increases the lung capacity since we are exercising the diaphragm in this asana. It also helps in correcting any wrong curvature of the spine. With regular practice one can attain flexibility of cervical and dorsal regions.
Palm Tree Pose Or Tadasana
In this asana the body appears like a palm tree that is the reason why this yoga asana is named so. Tada in Sanskrit means palm too. This exercise is performed by standing straight on a mat. Keep your heels together, toes apart and hands at the sides such as the weight of the body is evenly distributed on both the legs. Inhaling, raise both your hands above your head the palms touch each other.
The arms must be kept straight like the rest of your body. Now stretch your body standing on your toes and retaining your breath. Hold this position for few seconds or as long as you are comfortable. Then exhale and loosen up again standing on your heels. Repeat this procedure for 10-12 times.
This exercise will help you stretch the spinal cord and is beneficial for the muscles of the arms, shoulders and the neck too. It will relieve your back pain and make your spinal cord stronger. It is also beneficial in constipation and indigestion. It removes the lethargy and laziness in the body. It also prevents heart diseases and is helpful in strengthening cardiac muscles.
Cat Stretch Pose Or Marjari asana
This exercise relieves us of back pain as we are performing it. Rest on your four limbs on the floor. Keep your knees and palms right below your shoulders, and keep your back straight. Make your back look like a table top. Then keep your palms, elbow and shoulder in one straight line.
Keep your head in the center between the shoulders and lock your gaze at the floor. Inhale deeply and push your spine up such as to form an arch with it. Get the chin to touch the chest and lock your gaze the navel. Hold the position for few seconds; exhale and get back to the table top position.
While performing this exercise the tension in the spinal cord gets released and massaged. The stretch relieves us of the pain instantly. This asana also reduces mental and physical stress.
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