Yoga for lower back

Yoga postures for lower back pain

The causes for lower back pains can be due to week muscles of the lower back and inner muscles of the hips, doing exercises or lifting something heavy without enough support of muscles of the legs, hips and lower back, too much walking, too much walking with bending forward or with too warm feet, flu or dysfunction of the kidneys, stress, worry (especially when related to survival or money issues) etc. So there can be many causes for pain in the lower back area.

For the problems of the lower back we need to focus on getting all the different viewpoints on order to find more balance. So we don't only need to strengthen the lower back, but especially inner muscles of the hips and stomach and we need elongation, extension, inversion and flexion as well.

A short, but effective, practice of asanas for the lower back can look like this:

1. Marjaryasana (cat poses)

Starting with these postures a few times is a good start for the back by both warming up the back as well as stretching it. Hands are lined up under the shoulders and legs lined up under the hips. Inhale when bending back down and look up - exhale when curving the back up and chin towards the chest.

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (downward dog)

This posture is good for strengthening the lower back muscles and for improving posture. This postures has many positive effect on the whole body and is recommended to be stayed in for about 10 deep breathes. Push slightly heels and shoulders down, but the neck stays relaxed. If the calves feel stiff, you can start with walking with the heels a little bit a few times.

3. Sahaja Utkatasana (chair pose)

The chair pose is very good for strengthening the lower back muscles and especially the legs muscles, which are very important to strengthen as well for the lower back.
 Keep arms straight forward, sit down quite far down. Slightly lean forward with the back, but not much, and keep the back still straight. The feet are parallel under the hips. Hold the posture for a few breathes.

4. Sethu Banda Sarvangasana (half bridge pose)

This posture is one of the best to do for strenghtening the inner muscles between the hips, lower back and stomach and legs as well. This posture is a core posture for the most important area in our body; the hips, lower back and stomach area. 

The soles of the feet are on the mat, legs next to each other parallel to the hips, knees bent. Start by pushing the lower back down towards the ground and in the next inhalation lift the hips and buttocks up towards the ceiling. Stay in this posture for about 10 breathes. Come down by rolling down the back slowly, even the lower back. 

You can even keep legs bent on the stomach for a while after this as well, with the arms around the legs, and even sway from side to side.

5. Bhujaungasana (also known as Cobra)

Lie on your stomach, start with the head on the mat. Hands are under the shoulders, even slightly more back, with fingers pointed forward. Bend up the back in the next inhalation, but don't come further up than the navel! Stay here for a few breathes, look up, push the shoulders down, the elbows inwards to sides of the body and feet together. 

This is extremely good for strengthening the lower back as well as the muscles of the chest. This posture gives a bending effect to the whole back as well, and especially if one has lower back pain, it is good not to bend the back higher up than the navel, like we usually do in the other cobra postures. 
This is very good for all women especially and for problems with the menstruation as well. This posture should be more avoided though during the menstruation period.

6. Paschimottasana (forward bending)

This posture is one of the best one to finish with in the end of the whole practice and here the main point is to try to relax in it as much as possible through the breathing. In case one has lower back pain and especially if one feels it in the sides of the thighs or the hips, which is usually due to weakness in the lower back, it is good to place something soft under the knees, for example a couple of pillows.

 This postures stretches out the whole back and the back of the legs and is especially beneficial for the lower back. Since it is stretching out the whole kidney meridian, which goes all the way from the sole of the feet to the forehead through the back of the legs and back, it is very beneficial for the kidney's function and the whole meridian.

Start with stretching up the back and arms in the inhalation, after which you stretch forward the back as straight as possible and then just relax the neck, back and even arms if you like, down in every exhalation. 



More info about Ada's yoga classes in Finland can be found in: www.adayoga.fi