Yoga for Back Pain

 

Here is what I have learned from working with Yoga for back pain in Private Yoga Lessons

Yoga for back pain: The lower back.

The Feet

• A lot of lower back pain originates in the feet.
•  Learn to lift your arches and distribute weight evenly.
• Lifting the arches corrects the rotation of the entire leg.
• The feet are the foundations of a successful physical Yoga practice and great posture.
• Custom made Orthotics are a great idea- free tip there.

Experiencing the neutral spine

• Don’t overly arch your lower back especially in poses that are not even a back-bend!
• Women folk be particularly aware and avoid overly concaving the lower back
• Concaving the lower back is not healthy in certain poses.
• To prevent lower back pain, re-learn what a neutral spine means.
• Generally individuals need to be adjusted and experience what correct alignment feels like internally.

Trikonasana (Triangle pose) is a good example. Have you experienced back-pain in this pose?

• Find a neutral spine rather than concaving the lower back.
• Trikonasana is not a back-bend!
• Even a slight overly concaved back in this position is not healthy or comfortable.

Activate, strengthen and use your core muscles

• Learn to activate, strengthen and use your core muscles rather than mis-use your lower back.
• This demands fine-tuning of each pose so that the correct muscles are engaged.

Practice:

• Bring yourself gently into sphinx pose.
• Tilt your pelvis forward.
• Push your buttocks and hip flexors forward, as if you are trying to flatten the natural hollow underneath the hip points.
• There should be no pinching in the lower back.
• On the exhalation pull your belly button in towards the spine. Your belly should peel off the ground completely or slightly if you are of general weight and build.
• On the inhalation relax and allow your belly to sink back to the ground.

This should help you experience a “belt of strength” around your core.

Hips.

Tight hips are quite often an inter-related factor with lower back pain. Loosening the hips can be of great benefit for a healthy, pain-free lower back.For general issues with the back I usually practice hip openers in Private Yoga Lessons.

Other Factors with lower back pain:

• S.I joint issues.
• sciatica.
• hip issues (where pain radiates into back)
• issues related to carrying children in the womb.

These above are a little more specific and mostly require a little bit of “investigation”.

• Although there may be a feeling of pain in the back/lower back the issue may not stem from the back.
• Feelings of pain in buttocks and SI Join issues can be more related to weak muscles in the abductors or an imbalance between the abductors and adductors. This has more to do about strengthening the muscles on the outside of the leg then strengthening muscles in the back.
• I would generally advise a Private Yoga lesson or specific workshop, although sometimes work on the hips can help as part of another class.

Yoga for Back Pain. Upper back.

In my experience, Yoga wellbeing practices for Upper back issues is much more straightforward, although it requires more caution and guidance.

• Yoga can be fantastic for degenerative upper back conditions and pain relief.
• Impacted nerves in the spine can be decompressed and pain alleviated.
• Bring your spine back into alignment.
• Build muscle strength & better posture.
• Yoga can strengthen and heal the back.

In practice: 

• To strengthen the back and relieve pain we must do something.
• Practice poses to lengthen the spine.
• Concaving the upper back is key to counteract rounding.

Techniques for the Upper Back:

• Avoid rounding. Straighten, lengthen or concave instead.
• Avoid twisting the spine. Avoid twists until strength builds
• Modify poses.
• Use props (such as blocks)

All of the above is until the back strengthens and heals.

Keep the neck in line with the spine.

I have often seen upper back problems and neck issues to be inter-related.

Forward bends:

Use blocks to lengthen the spine in forward bends and other poses. Steer clear of rounding the spine.

Yoga for back pain: Upper and Lower back Commonalities.

• Practices poses and exercises for lengthening the spine.
• Strength building practices.
• Baby Back bends.
• Develop physical awareness.
• Experience correct adjustments to bring the spine into alignment.

Emotional Factors & The Chakra System.

In Yoga it would be seen that the physical, emotional and spiritual interact with each other. Therefore clearing up a spiritual issue or emotional issue can clear up a physical issue and vice versa .

Chakra work on the upper back:

• Rebalancing the energy of the heart Chakra.
• Stress-relief techniques are very good for the heart chakra.
• Rebalancing the throat chakra.
• Visualisation and mantras to harmonise the relationship between both Chakras.

Chakra work on the lower back

• The root chakra: reconnect with a sense of security, safety and support.
• Sacral chakra. (for the hips).
• To balance these energy centres we will use breath work, (pranayama) visualisation and suitable music.