There is no magic fix for chronic back pain, but if you’re looking to prevent it from arising or reduce the symptoms, then staying active and practising yoga can certainly help. Regular stretching to increase your flexibility and mobility is smart in general, whether you’re doing full yoga classes or specific poses to target parts of the body you have trouble with.
If it’s back pain in particular that you’re looking to alleviate, then the three stretches below are worth giving a go. They’ve been selected by Saskia Bolscher, yoga instructor at London-based yoga studio MoreYoga.
“Lots of yoga poses are great for alleviating back pain,” says Bolscher, “and I would say if your life is quite sedentary, practicing yoga regularly will very likely help to make your back feel better.”
The three poses Bolscher has picked out in particular each focus on different parts of the back, and all are great for releasing any tension you’re holding from long periods spent sitting.
Side bend
“For lower back pain, side bends are great,” says Bolscher, “like his gentle seated yin yoga posture where we sit down in a half butterfly pose, starting from a wide-legged position and bending one leg to bring the foot towards the centre.
“We then bend the upper body towards the straight leg whilst keeping the chest facing forward. You can hold the pose for one to three minutes on each side to gently stretch the muscles along the sides of the torso and back to relieve tension.”
Seated twist
“Twists are great for stretching the mid back,” says Bolscher. “A seated twist like half lord of the fishes — matsyendrasana in Sanskrit — can feel so good.
“You can sit in any way that is comfortable and allows an upright spine, potentially with the legs crossed. Before twisting to one side, make sure you lengthen upwards to create space to twist. Make sure to do this on both sides; you can even repeat the side that feels the tightest.
“Twists like this counteract any stiffness, release muscle tension, improve spinal mobility, and stimulate circulation, counteracting the stiffness from static postures like sitting.”
Supported fish
“One of my favourite poses is supported fish, which feels good because it gently opens the chest and shoulders, which can often feel tight, while the support for the upper back and neck gives you deep relaxation,” says Bolscher.
“This combination relieves tension, improves posture, and can be calming by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
“You can use a bolster underneath your upper body, keeping the hips grounded. You can add blocks underneath the bolster for less intensity. And all you need to do here is relax your body and be supported by the props.”
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
