If you are looking for spinal flexibility and mobility, then yoga may be what you need. Alternative Medicine and Health writer Melanie Haiken shares results from a study conducted by Group Health Cooperative in her article for "Yoga Journal." Out of three groups, the participants in the yoga practicing group showed the most relief from back pain. Before trying yoga poses, ask your doctor if there are any movements you should avoid.
Big Toe Pose or Padangusthasana
Big Toe Pose is basically a variation of Forward Bend. Bring your upper body toward your lower body, hinging from your hips. Bend your knees, slightly, if you feel that your back is curved or if it is difficult to touch the floor. If you easily reach your hands to the floor, then keep your knees soft, rather than locked. This is Forward Bend. To move into Big Toe Pose, wrap your first two fingers around each big toe. Press your index and pinkie fingers into the base of your toe, or you can grab your ankles. Pull yourself into the stretch. Hold the pose for up to one minute. You should feel a release in your upper back and hamstrings. Rise back up, slowly, to avoid dizziness.
Bound Angle Pose or Baddha Konasana
Physical therapist and Iyengar instructor, Julie Gumestad, points out the relationship between tight hip flexors and spinal or back issues. Without flexibility in the hips, muscles pull down on the pelvis and cause compression in the back. "Yoga Journal" recommends Bound Angle Pose for opening the hips, which in effect, should contribute to a healthier spine. From a seated position, bring the bottoms of the feet together to touch, allowing the knees to splay out to each side. Bring the feet as close to the body as possible. If you have trouble sitting upright in this position, try placing a folded up towel or blanket under the hips. Let gravity pull the knees down as you breathe deeply for one to five minutes.
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana
After decompressing the spine with Big Toe Pose and opening the hips with Bound Angle, you may be ready for a twisting pose. According to "Yoga Journal," Half Lord of the Fishes rejuvenates the spine and relieves backaches. Johns Hopkins emphasizes that yoga can even help with chronic back pain. Sit with your right heel against your left hip and your left heel against your right hip. Your left knee is upright. Turn your body toward your left knee, then wrap your right arm and hand around it. Place your left hand on the floor behind you. Exhale to twist deeper and inhale to elongate your posture upward, toward the ceiling. Hold for up to one minute on each side.
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