If you’re looking for an alternative solution to back pain relief then this is for you. Yoga exercises can improve chronic back pain caused by back injury, bad posture, disc problems or muscle tension. They can improve the strength of back muscles and spine flexibility and release back ache.
The information I give here will help you to:
- Understand the often simple reasons behind back pain or tension
- Discover exactly how yoga can help reduce your back pain and even heal it completely
- Learn some top tips about making your yoga practice as individual as your body
Yoga for back pain can be a real winner. Here I have put together valuable information in a clear way to help you understand how and why yoga works for your back. Your experience of yoga will also be a whole lot more beneficial, and also safer, if you are equipped with good information first.
Common back problems and the main reasons behind them
Most back problems are caused by one or more of the following:
- Bad posture. How is your posture right now?
- Muscle imbalance e.g. using one side of the body more than the other.
- Muscle or ligament damage or strain.
- Damaged or worn down spinal discs.
Lower back pain is very common, and is usually caused by bad posture, muscle strain or imbalance, and very commonly disc injury.
Spinal discs, or shock absorbers, are pads of cartilage that protect your spinal cord and prevent shock. Muscle tightness can damage the discs. When this happens, too much pressure is put on the nerves in your spine, causing pain.
Upper back pain is less common. It’s usually down to muscular tension, being caused by bad posture or muscle imbalance or damage.
So how can yoga help?
Whether your back problem is down to muscle tension or an accident, yoga helps back pain release by...
Releasing muscle tension
Yoga helps back strain that is caused by muscular tension or imbalance. Yoga stretches and exercises the muscles, and balances them so that they are equal in strength and flexibility – hence yoga’s key teaching of balance and alignment.
Increasing blood circulation
Yoga also increases blood circulation. Good blood circulation around the spine lessens the risk of illness, reduces pain, and ensures that blood can deliver fresh nutrients and oxygen to muscles. This allows damaged tissue to be restored and gradually relaxes the muscles to their core level. Good blood circulation also pushes discs away from the nerves in the lower back, easing lower back ache.
Increasing energy flow
Energy flows through the body electrically, via nerves through the spine. Tensions around the back will interrupt energy flow. Yoga eases these tensions and so alleviates feelings of dullness or tiredness.
Your body is individual
When new to yoga it’s best to learn with a qualified teacher. Obviously you don’t want to re-injure your back when practicing, which is why you need to pick and choose all the best positions for your back, and avoid certain others. Talking to a qualified teacher about what back exercise is best for you and your body is vital.
A few handy guidelines:
- Always follow a bending backwards move with a bending forwards one
- Hatha Yoga and gentle recreational Yoga are the best types to start with for back pain
- If you suffer from scatia or severe back pain, avoid balancing on one leg such as in the Tree pose and Warrior pose – these put pressure on the Sacroiliac joint at the base of your spine
Encouraging stuff...
The man who says yoga saved his broken back.
If you are interested in finding out more or learning yoga, then have a look at my
about me page and browse
my classes and
workshops. I am a qualified yoga teacher, trained by The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres, a yoga organisation recognised worldwide.
More benefits
Apart from releasing back pain, yoga also offers you:
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- improvement of many medical conditions
- relief from allergy and asthma symptoms
- help in quitting addictions
- increased strength and flexibility
In my yoga classes I incorporate the whole yogic system (breathing, postures, meditation and Vedanta life philosophy.)
