Whether you are seeking ways to keep your lower back healthy or finding alternative therapy for chronic issues, yoga may be a solution for you. The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke lists exercise, including yoga, as one of the most effective tools for healing and strengthening the back. Your yoga practice may be challenging at certain points, but it should not cause sharp or intense pain. Consult with your physician about yoga for your lower back.
Function
Yoga poses target various areas of the body, building strength, increasing flexibility, improving balance and inspiring relaxation. Postures for your lower back can build the foundation for a better posture, when practiced regularly. All poses, even basic ones, produce the best benefits if you breathe deeply in and out through your nose while you practice them.
Strength
Two of the most widely practiced and basic poses for strengthening your lower back are the cobra and the locust. Practice both poses with your belly on the floor and your legs straight behind you. In the cobra, keep your hands on the floor, next to the middle of your chest. Use your lower back muscles to raise your chest off the floor. Always keep your shoulders pulled back. In the locust, you raise your chest and legs up. Let your arms float by your sides, with your fingers pointed toward your feet.
Backbends
Backbends increase your lower back flexibility and can build strength, depending on the specific pose. Practice a simple backbend with the sphinx pose. Remain on your belly and prop your elbows on the floor, directly under your shoulders. Keep your shoulders pressed down as you lengthen your spine upward.
From a hands and knees position, you can backbend in the cat pose. Keep your hands and knees parallel as you round your back toward the ceiling. Counter the backbend by pressing your belly toward the floor and raising your tailbone in the cow pose.
Twists
Yoga twists improve the flexibility in your lower back, spine and chest. To practice a basic twist, sit on a folded blanket or towel with your legs crossed. Turn your upper body gently to the right, bringing your left hand to your upper right thigh. Rest your right hand on the floor behind your lower back. Keep your posture tall. Repeat on the other side.
Try Marichi's pose next, by straightening your left leg and bringing your right heel toward your body. Your right knee points up. Again, turn your torso to your right, then hook your left arm around your right knee. Your right hand is on the floor behind you.
Considerations
Warm up your body before practicing yoga and hold poses for roughly five to 10 breaths. Certified Iyengar instructor and licensed physical therapist Julie Gudmestad writes in "Yoga Journal" that students with serious back issues may need to avoid some or all forward bends, which often feel relaxing on the lower back in students without issues. Start with standing forward bends, perhaps modified with your feet two or three feet apart. All forward bends involve lengthening your upper body toward your lower half, while keeping your legs straight.
Member Comments