Yoga helps your body relax, and if you have even tried the most basic of breathing techniques, you must have experienced it.
Yoga is a diverse set of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that are aimed at controlling the mind and body. To attain flexibility and fitness, yoga positions help your body move in an easy, smoothly transitioning direction.
Thus if you witness backache by simply sitting on a chair for too long, yoga can help you relieve the pain. Even if you are too tired or lazy to go from moderate-intensity or high-intensity fitness workouts, you can opt for yoga because it helps you relax and energize your body.
What Is Yoga?
Yoga is spiritual and regarded as an ascetic discipline that includes;
- Breath controlling techniques
- Meditation
- Specific body postures to help with physical illnesses
- Body postures to help relax the mind
Yoga works on the surface to the deepest levels of the human mind and body. It goes from utilizing the body to the mind, and emotions to the aura and energy. The spiritual stance that yoga develops in the practitioners is self-realization, while the physical objective is to improve health and peace of mind.
Yoga connects the body to the mind via various techniques and leads individuals towards
Physical Benefits Of Yoga
The techniques used in yoga help lessen chronic pain and improve better sleeping patterns. It also maintains balanced blood pressure. Here are some more physical health benefits of yoga; better purposes and objectives.
- Cardiovascular Conditioning via techniques that require less effort than even the normal intensity workouts
- Improved muscle strength
- Increased and improved energy levels
- Prevents injuries
Mental Benefits Of Yoga
One of the best benefits of yoga is that it helps reduce stress and develop techniques to deal with stressful circumstances. Here are a few more mental health benefits;
- It improves mental well-being
- Improve sleeping patterns
- Develop concentration and focus levels
- Help remain calm and composed even in difficult situations
The incorporation of various techniques used for physical and mental improvement is a great way to enable the body to heal itself. Medication and rigorous, painful medical procedures may sound good to the ears, however, it is important to enable the body to utilize its inner strength and heal itself.
Tune Your Body To The Movement
Your body needs time to get accustomed to the postures and the activity, regardless of how to fit you appear or how healthily you eat. Therefore, it is important that you tune your body to the activity and the upcoming movements before you delve into any flow of the practice.
Warm up a little before you start with the movements. Avoid jumping directly to it.
- Go for a light jog
- Breathe in and breathe out
How Can It Relieve Back Ache?
While yoga postures are very helpful on their own, they can help reduce backache if utilized in a flowing manner.
Here are the best yoga poses to help you relieve back pain, merely by mastering a few easy postures. These poses, mainly isometric (that hold the body in one position for a fixed duration), help the body move muscles in a way that reduces and eventually prevents chronic pain.
One: Plank
We all know of planks as a major fitness exercise used to strengthen the core. However, when utilized in a manner that preaches calmness and tolerance, this exercise is especially beneficial for the core. It helps take pressure off the lower back and supports the spine.
Here’s how to go about the plank posture;
- Put your knees under your hips and keep your hand flat on the mat. Make sure that your hands are directly underneath your shoulders.
- Extend your legs out behind you by lifting your knees off the floor.
- Your position now should resemble that of a plank: with you on your toes and hands for balance, and your body forming a line.
- Keep your palms flat on the floor with your hands shoulder-width apart. This engages your core.
- Maintain a neutral position for your neck and spine. You can do so by looking down at the top of your mat.
- Maintain this plank posture for 15 seconds in the first attempt, and slowly work it up to 30 seconds.
- Your ability to hold the plank for a longer duration will come with consistency in your efforts.
Two: Crescent Forward Lunge
Lunges work your quadriceps and hamstrings and help with stability and balance in the body. It is also an effective exercise to work your calves and back muscles, thus aiding with backache.
Here’s how to do Lunges:
– Start in a standing position
– Step forward and make a 90-degree angle with one foot
– Lift your front lunging leg to return to the starting position
– Repeat for each leg
– Do the reps on one leg and repeat for the other leg
– Keep switching between legs
– Determine the number of lunges you do by the flow you carry for all your posture.
You can add up the number of lunges as you remain consistent, however, do not take your movement to moderate intensity. Keep the intensity normal. Make sure that your front knee doesn’t go beyond your toes while your rear knee remains parallel to the ground.
Three: Superman
The superman exercise is an effective home exercise that strengthens your core while working your lower and upper back. It prevents lower back pain; this is a beneficial exercise for anyone whose workspace is confined to a desk most of the time. This exercise plays an important role in spinal stability and helps when your back is under heavy loads.
The superman exercise works the muscles along the posterior chain, including the muscles in the mid and lower back. The superman exercise is an isometric movement, where your joints don’t move however, your limbs (legs and arms) move while your torso and neck remain still.
How to go about the Superman Exercise?
– Lay face down on a mat with your forehead on the ground.
– Outstretch your legs and arms.
– Raise your feet and hands, simultaneously, about three to five inches off the ground.
– Keep your core on the ground while you do so.
– Hold this position for three seconds.
– Lower your hands and feet slowly back to the floor.
– Keep your neck neutral throughout the movement.
Four: Reclining Spinal Twist
Reclining spinal twists are one the best postures to help relieve compression at the lower back region. It also improves spinal mobility and relaxes the mind and body because of all the muscles it works.
Here’s how to go about a reclining spinal twist;
- Lie on your back with your legs straight
- Form a T with your body, by spreading your arms across
- With your right hand, pull down your left knee as much as you can down to the ground
- This should move your back to twist towards the right
- Keep your left arm in its original position
- Hold the position for 20 seconds
- Now pull down your right knee with the help of your left hand
- This should move your back to twist towards the left
- Keep your right arm in the starting position
- Hold this position for 20 seconds
- Return to the original position and repeat twice for each side
Make sure that you move and keep your head and neck still towards the side you are twisting.
Five: Cobra Pose
This pose works your back and stretches the muscles in your abdomen, chest, and shoulders. This posture strengthens your spine and relieves stress and muscle fatigue. It also works your hamstrings, glutes, and triceps.
Here’s how you can practice the Cobra pose;
- Lie on your stomach with your whole body straight
- Your hands should be under your shoulders with your fingers facing forward
- Draw your arms in towards your chest
- Make sure your elbows don’t go out to the side
- Press your hands down and lift your head, chest, and shoulders slowly upwards
- Bend your elbows slightly
- To deepen the pose, let your head drop back
- Hold the pose for a few seconds and then drop down back to your original position
- Repeat 3 times
- Now bring your arms to your sides while keeping them straight
- Rest your head
- Slowly move your hips from side to side – this will release any tension from your lower back
The Bottom Line
Yoga poses not only help with easing and reducing backache but also help you stay away from heavy doses of painkillers. However, before you rely completely on these postures for relieving backache, you must consult your doctor before you try anything that may injure you.
You can practice these 5 amazing poses at home or in any space where you feel comfortable. You can make a circuit out of these 5 postures and practice them every day for 10 minutes with short breaks in between.
Here is a tip to not exhaust your body and make the best out of it;
- Take short breaks of 5 to 10 seconds in between exercises
Moreover, if you are willing to level up your fitness goals, you can join classes that offer the services.