I’m incredibly excited to have a talented yoga instrucotr Lauren Adelson of Luxe Yoga Life offer her insight on yoga poses for keeping your back healthy. I myself have practiced yoga and did some yoga in China; the class was given in Mandarin (and I don’t speak that language proficently). Needless to say, yoga, WODS, and crossfit are excellent ways to have the ultimal health. Lauren will enlighten you on 5 yoga poses and go into detail on how to do them in detail..jpg "2014-08-04_0008.jpg")
5 YOGA POSES FOR BACK HEALTH
One of the most common complaints I hear from yoga students is that of back pain and discomfort. We can all relate to feeling tightness, achiness, soreness, and/or tension somewhere in the body. Unfortunately, the spine often gets the brunt of this due to our sedentary lifestyles of working daily on computers, driving in a stationary position, injuries, and mental stressors from our work and family responsibilities. Whether this back pain is chronic or acute, the good news is that there IS relief. Many chiropractors, physical therapists, and doctors of all specialities are now recommending yoga as a therapeutic tool for healing. I have seen students arrive to yoga class in pain, and leave class within an hour’s time feeling completely renewed, relaxed, and restored with the magic of this practice. Here are 5 recommendations to try if you have been feeling like a “pain in the back” (pun intended)….
Yoga Asanas for Spinal Health
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1. Cat- Cow Pose
While in a hands and knees position on the ground, make sure you have enough cushioning under your knees and hands to be comfortable. Spread your fingers out wide, and shoulders above the wrists. Knees hip distance apart, and toe-nails grounded. Breathing in through your nose, bend your elbows and send your torso through your arms creating a back-bend. Squeezing your shoulder blades together, lift your tailbone and the crown of your head up to the sky. This back bend looks like a letter “U”. Don’t be afraid to really exaggerate this shape and wring out tension between the shoulder blades. The head is lifting up away from the shoulders and heart is lifting. This is opening the heart, energizing, and clearing toxins and tension from the spine. On the exhale, lift your spine up to the sky, creating a lower case “n” letter with your back. As you round your spine, tuck your chin to your chest and exhale out through your mouth. Continue moving through this cat-cow flow letting your breath guide you. Closing your eyes always helps to deepen the practice too!!! Imagine breathing in the new, and breathing out the old. On the inhale of the cow stretch, breathe in anything you desire in your mind, body, and soul like love, trust, and health. As you exhale and round the spine into the cat stretch, breathe away anything no longer supporting you in your life, such as fears, anxieties, stressors, doubts, judgements, and old aches and pains. Letting the breath guide you, keep the flow going for a few minutes, and begin to feel your back and heart opening.
2. Knees to Chest Pose
Laying down on your back on a cushioned surface, bring your knees in to your chest. Wrap your arms around your shins and rock side to side on your spine. This acts as massage on the spine and sacrum. Breathe and rock, bringing your quadriceps as closely in to your chest as you can, while relaxing your shoulders to the ground. This pose feels like heaven after sitting and standing all day!
3. Spinal Twist
While sitting in a chair or on your mat, keep your sit-bones grounded. Lift through the crown of the head and extend your right arm up to the sky. Release your right hand to the outside of your left knee. While still keeping your head and torso lifted tall, tuck your belly button back, turn and twist, gazing over your left shoulder. If you are in a seated cross legged position, place your left hand behind your lower back on the ground. If you are practicing in a chair, place your left hand on the back of the chair. Breathe in and out evenly, and imagine any excess toxins and negativity releasing, as you twist it away. Stay there for a few breaths, come back to center, and switch sides. Twists may also be done while laying down. While laying on your back, open your arms out into a “T” shape, and stack your knees to one side. For more intensity you may wrap your top leg around the bottom knee. Release your shoulders, breathe, and adjust the gaze so your neck is in a comfortable position. Staying there for at least 3 full breaths, switch to the opposite side. Hold your twists for as long as you need to really feel the benefits…. Your back will thank you.
4. Legs Up The Wall Pose
Edging your bottom up to the baseboard of any wall, place your legs at a 90 degree angle up the wall. Place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on your belly. Imagine your hips sinking down to the ground. Keep your feet about hip distance apart. Let your entire back melt down to the ground. This pose is very therapeutic for the back, increasing circulation and balancing the nervous system. Take long inhales through the nose and even longer exhales through the mouth. After a few rounds of mouth breathing, see if breathing in and out through the nose feels okay for you. Stay in this pose anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes while breathing and relaxing. If this is not comfortable for you, place a folded towel or pillow under your head and under your hips. Another variation of the pose is to place your calves on a chair while laying down on the ground, putting your legs at a 45 degree angle for more of a gentle practice. This pose offers an opportunity to dim (or shut) the lights, play some relaxing music, light some candles, breathe and meditate.
5. Forward Bends
While standing up, inhale your arms up to the sky and exhale into a forward fold. Hinging at the hips, leading forward with your heart, swan-dive down, letting your head and hands drop last. The head and chin stay elevated until your heart and chest are all the way down. It is totally okay to bend your knees!!! Once you are into the forward bend, rock your hips and arms side to side. With each exhale, your chest will melt closer to your thighs, and nose to the knees. This is a pose of surrender and release. Close your eyes and focus on the cathartic release of your exhales. How amazing does it feel to truly let go and just be?
These yummy poses (asanas) are a physical way to explore the range of motion in your spine. In moving the spine in new ways, we remove any old blockages that may be causing inflammation. Layering in the use of breath and meditation, we may release old thought patterns and negative emotions that often surface as back pain..jpg "2014-08-04_0024.jpg")
Yoga is a therapeutic practice that truly helps us to feel our best in all aspects of our lives- the emotional, the mental, the physical and the spiritual. The aim is to be free, free of ailments, free of worry, and free to be ourselves… the happy, loving and peaceful selves we are intended to be. So let’s get our yoga on and bask in this beautiful freedom of body and mind…! See you on the mat!
In the tranquil space of your practice, discover profound insights about your spiritual essence, realizing that you are part of something much greater than yourself. At Yoga Vandaag, you’re not just mastering poses; you’re embarking on a journey to explore the realms of your spirituality. Here, amidst the serenity of the mat, you learn about spirituality at Yoga Vandaag in ways that resonate deeply with your soul.
With each breath, you peel away the layers of ego and illusion, unveiling the pure essence of your being. Through mindfulness and introspection, you gain clarity and insight into the interconnectedness of all existence. In this sacred space, you cultivate gratitude, compassion, and reverence for the sacredness of life. Beyond the physical postures, your practice becomes a spiritual sanctuary, guiding you towards inner peace and enlightenment. So let’s continue to journey together on the path of self-discovery, deepening your understanding and experience of spirituality through the transformative practice of yoga.
Bio:
A native New-Yorker, Lauren took her first yoga class there and fell in love from the start. She felt transformed- in both body and mind after each class. She decided right then that teaching yoga would be a goal of hers. As a Certified Yoga Teacher, Lauren loves sharing her love for yoga with her students. Her style is eclectic, ranging from slower paced, gentle teachings, to heart-pounding dynamic sequences flowing along to house music & hip-hop. Each class ties in the emotional, mental, spiritual aspects of yoga philosophy along with physical asana (poses) to strengthen and revitalize the body. With fun music, humor, and a laid-back vibe, Lauren creates a space for her students to “just be”.
Find out more, take group classes & private sessions, & connect with Lauren at:
Website: www.LuxeYogaLife.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LuxeYogaLife
Instagram: @LuxeYogaLife
Email: Lauren@LuxeYogaLife.com
I hope these poses are helpful to anyone wanting to improve their back’s health. Having an aligned back that allows you to have optimal health makes for a successful life. If you have any questions concerning yoga please connect with Lauren.
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