Top yoga asanas for back pain

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 A sedentary lifestyle and sitting all day on chairs make our backs stiff and our back muscles lose their flexibility. Due to this tightness, our back gets strained or in worse cases back bone gets displaced due to some injury. The asanas we will be discussing today can even correct a displaced spine, let alone normal pain. People who are suffering from back pain should not lift heavy weights and should avoid bending forward. The yoga asanas which will make your back pain-free and supple are the following:

  1. Dhanurasana or Bow pose:
    woman doing bow pose

    Lie flat on your stomach and inhale fully. Bend the knees and hold the ankles with the hands. Tense the leg muscles and arch the back. Simultaneously raise the head, chest, and thighs as high as possible. Hold as long as comfortable. This yoga pose should not be done by people with a hernia, peptic ulcer, intestinal tuberculosis, or bent spine.
  2. Cobra pose or Bhujangasana:
    woman doing bhujangasana

    Lie on your stomach with your legs straight and your feet extended. Place the palms flat on the floor under the shoulders. Rest the forehead on the ground and relax the body. Slowly raise the head and the shoulders off the ground, bending the head as far as it will go. Try to raise the shoulders without using the arms, only utilizing the back muscles. Now bring the arms into action and slowly bend the back as much as possible without strain until the arms are straight. Keep the navel as close as possible to the ground. Hold as long as comfortable. Inhale while raising the body from the ground. People with peptic ulcers, hernia, intestinal tuberculosis, or hyperthyroidism should not do this pose.
  3. Locust pose or Salabhasana:
    young boy doing Salabhasana
    Lie on the stomach with hands under the thighs, palms facing downwards. Stretch the legs and tense the arms. Raise the legs and abdomen as high as possible without bending the legs. Hold as long as possible. This pose should not be done by people suffering from peptic ulcers, hernia, intestinal tuberculosis, or people with weak hearts.
  4. Kandharasana or Bridge pose:
    woman doing bridge pose

    Lie on the back with legs bent at the knees and the heels touching the buttocks. Hold the ankles. Raise the buttocks and arch the back, keeping the feet flat on the floor. Do not move the position of the feet or shoulders. The body should be supported by the feet, neck, shoulders, and arms. Retain the breath inside while practicing this asana. Do up to 10 times for general health and for long periods with normal breathing for curative purposes.
  5. Ustrasana or Camel pose:
    woman doing ustrasana

    Kneel on the floor, keeping the thighs and feet together, toes pointing back, and resting on the floor. Rest the palms on the hips. Stretch the thighs, curve the spine back and extend the ribs. Exhale, place the right palm over the right heel and the left over the left. If possible, place the palms on the soles of the feet. Press the feet with the palms, throw the head back and push the spine towards the thighs, which should be kept perpendicular to the floor. Contract the buttocks and stretch the dorsal and the coccyx regions of the spine still further, keeping the neck stretched back. Hold for half a minute and then come back and relax.
  6. Urdhva mukh svanasana:
    man doing urdhvamukh svanasana

    Lie on the floor on your stomach, face downwards. Keep the feet about one foot apart. The toes should point straight back. Place the palms on the floor by the side of the waist, the fingers pointing to the head. Inhale, raise the head and trunk, stretch the arms completely and push the head and trunk as far back as possible, without resting the knees on the floor. Keep the legs straight and tightened at the knees, but do not rest the knees on the floor. The weight of the body rests on the palms and toes only. The spine, thighs, and calves should be fully stretched and the buttocks contracted tight. Push the chest forward, stretch the neck fully and throw the head as far back as possible. Also, stretch the back portion of the arms. Stay in the asana for half a minute with deep breathing. Bend the elbows, release the stretch and rest on the floor.
These asanas will help in getting your back stronger and supple and make it pain-free.


Thank you for reading. Stay healthy!




Attributions:
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-woman-dhanurasana-pose-grey-studio-background_1281520.htm#query=dhanurasana&position=1&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/cobra-pose-bhudjangasana_1280264.htm#query=bhujangasana&position=1&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-woman-doing-ustrasana-exercise_3955050.htm#query=ustrasana&position=5&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik
  • Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/man-practicing-yoga-pose_5119624.htm#query=urdhva%20mukh%20svanasana&position=18&from_view=search&track=ais">Freepik</a>
  • <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/young-yogi-attractive-woman-glute-bridge-pose-loft-backgroun_1282125.htm#query=bridge%20pose&position=1&from_view=search&track=sph">Image by yanalya</a> on Freepik

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