While you may feel like you need to rest your sore back, exercise is one of the best tools to cure pain. Low impact exercises such as yoga are great at alleviating your pain, without adding more stress to your body.
If you’re looking for a way to stop the pain, try these 3 yoga poses, they’re perfect for healing your back.
Downward Facing Dog
One of the most basic yoga moves, downward facing dog is used to stretch the whole body, but works especially well at relieving pain in the back and shoulders. Downward facing dog is a great basic move that is easy for beginners, and is often used when transitioning into other poses.
To start, stand on your hands and knees, placing your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Exhale as you push up with your legs, lifting your tailbone towards the sky while keeping your legs straight, ultimately making an upside down V with your body. While holding the pose, keep your back straight and heels touching the floor, breathe deeply and slowly. Hold this pose for around 10 breaths, and then exhale back down to your hands and knees or into Child’s Pose. Repeat as often as you feel necessary and that your body can handle.
Chair Pose
Chair pose is a great pose not only for alleviating pain in the lower back, but for strengthening the leg and arm muscles. The move can be a bit difficult for beginners, so it’s important to take it slow and not push yourself if you’re new to yoga.
Start out standing. Your feet should be side by side and about hips’ width apart. Lift your arms in the air, straight above your head. Exhale and bend your knees, as if you were leaning back to sit in an invisible chair. Lower your arms until they are straight in front of your body. To help with balance, bend forward at the waist and simply try to straighten your stance as you practice. Stay in this position for as long as you can, or for around 10 deep, slow breaths. Inhale and straighten your knees, slowly and with control.
Cat and Cow Pose
These two poses work in conjunction with each other. They are both fairly simple poses and great for beginners. They work together to loosen back muscles and lessen pain in the lower and mid-back. Cat and cow pose are a great way to start off your daily yoga.
To begin, start off in cow pose. Get on your hands and knees. Your hands should be placed directly beneath your shoulders and your knees should be lined up with your hips. Inhale and bend your spine down towards the floor. Your head should be facing up, your back should be curved, and your tailbone should be pointed to the sky.
Hold this pose for around 5 breaths before moving into cat pose. As you inhale, arch your back upward as if you were a cat, curving your spine in the opposite direction. Let your head hang naturally, and your tailbone point downwards. Move back and forth between these two poses, inhaling as you move into cat, and exhaling as you move into cow.
Before you begin any kind of workout, be sure to speak with your physician to find out if your back is healthy enough for physical activity. Working out on your own can worsen your back pain, and cause further injury.
