Have you ever thought about you could implement yoga into your daily life? Do you want to know some simple yoga poses that you can do to help eliminate annoying low back pain and stiffness? Then you need to read on…
If you are anything like me, your life probably sounds something like this. Your morning routine includes sitting at your table and eating breakfast while enjoying a cup of coffee, tea, or juice. Then you continue with more sitting in your car to commute to work. Your midday routine consists of more sitting as you eat your lunch, and perhaps you have to attend an afternoon meeting with even more sitting. Your evening routine… dinner time for, yes… more sitting. Good thing is I implement a few simple yoga poses through my day to attempt to offset this.
Our low back is straining with all that sitting and the iliopsoas muscles (hip flexors) are shortened while we sit like this. It is, unfortunately, a tough habit to escape. Sitting is apart of our culture and at the time, may feel slightly relaxing. That relaxing seat will eventually become your worst enemy. Sitting is very hard on your body, especially your low back. Over time, you will begin to feel more low back pain. At the end of the day, you’re exhausted, you go home and then you can’t get to sleep because your back pain is keeping you up. Does this sound all sound familiar?
Western Culture has developed poor habits in our work environments that feeds over into our personal lives. Our routines of sitting, typing and calling all day have left us feeling nothing but aches and pains. Sitting may well be the demise of our current society. We all suffer from the burden of lower back pain. A staggering amount of the population, roughly 80%, suffers from low back pain at some point. Some reasons you may be experiencing low back pain are muscle strain, poor posture, age, long work days, and from daily activities or bad habits. Visit Dr. Oscar Andalon’s article if you would like to learn more about how sitting is taking years off your life.
How can yoga help my low back pain?
Yoga contributes to the healing of the physical and mental health. Your emotional state is important to speed up the healing process. Even simple yoga poses can help and improve the lower back pain you may be experiencing. The practice of Yoga is designed to educate students in the use of a daily regimen of self-care that acts to manage and ultimately prevent the recurrence of chronic low back pain.
Many styles of yoga are emerging as it becomes more popular. It is important to pick a style of yoga that is therapeutic or restorative. Iyengar yoga is a stye I personally love to blend with a vinyasa style practice. Vinyasa is movement to breath, in a simple description, and Iyengar believes that yoga should be supportive and meet the student where they are at. A yoga pose should be performed so there is no restriction in the breath for its healing benefits.
Simple yoga poses have been proven to increase the range of movement and flexibility, muscular strength and cardio respiratory endurance. The simple yoga poses selected below are going to help you feel relief to the lumbar spine and improve your posture. I believe the correct use of props to support you in these postures will be the best solution for reducing any discomfort in your body. Each pose in the sequence below will add to your understanding of the imbalance. It will teach you how to correctly align and work your musculoskeletal system. If you try these simple yoga poses in sequence in the morning before your regular sitting morning routine, you will find relief in your day. I usually recommend repeating 3 times.
6 Simple Yoga Poses
Cat Cow X5 → Downward Dog → Figure Four ( Right+Left) → Legs Up the Wall → Repeat
1) Cow
Benefits: Dog tilt pose stretches the middle to low back and hips, lengthens the spine, and stimulates the kidneys and adrenal glands.
Props: Place a blanket beneath the knees if you feel any discomfort.
2) Cat
Benefits: Relieves pressure and increases mobility in the back. Strengthens and stretches the spine and neck. Stretches the hips, abdomen and back.
3) Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Benefits: Lengthens and strengthens the back and arms.
4) Downward Dog against the Wall
Benefits: Release low back tension. Lengthens and strengthens the back and arms.
5) Figure Four Using A Wall
Benefits: Opens hip flexors and stretches the piriformis muscle (in the buttock area), which eases sciatica.
6) Legs up the Wall
Benefits: Release low back tension. Lengthens and strengthens the back and arms.
Props: Lay on a Bolster and place beneath your low back. Another option is to use a firm pillow or blanket folded up into a rectangle.
Conclusion
I hope you find this simple yoga pose sequence helpful toward healing your back aches and pains during your long work day. If you are new to yoga, it is recommended to attend a class to learn proper alignment in these postures. A yoga sequence can be taught specifically to your aggravating condition with the proper guidance. Join us at LEVEL4 PT & Wellness Mondays at 9:30 AM for our healing Therapeutic Yoga class to build on these simple yoga poses, so you can continue to live a happier, healthier, stronger, and stress free life.
Namaste
Prior to living in Carlsbad, CA, she worked at Nike Headquarters in Portland, OR as a physical therapist and consultant. She has always enjoyed fitness and working with the athletic population as a former dancer and gymnast. Dawn has also completed certification through Polestar Pilates which she has implemented with elite and Olympic athletes, surfers, golf pros, and the weekend warrior to enhance their chosen sport. After having 2 kids she saw a need for more highly skilled programs for women who are struggling with common body struggles after having a baby so she went on to seek more training in Pelvic floor rehab and the female athlete through Herman & Wallace Institute. As a spine specialist with a Manual Therapy Certification from University of St. Augustine and Pilates background she has helped men and women of all ages stay active and feel their best.This combined with her passion to educate women, especially the peri and post-menopausal women who want to resolve their physical concerns as they age.
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