Yoga for Injuries and Back Pain: Yoga Benefits

If you have ever practiced yoga, you are well-versed in the number of benefits that you can experience in the body, the mind, and the spirit. Yoga is especially helpful as a therapeutic tool for stress-related issues and can be tremendously helpful for chronic pain and balance issues. Even just a few minutes of yoga daily can relieve a person in pain.

Certain yoga poses can aid in strengthening the muscles around your spine, helping you gain balance and better alignment, thus relieving back pain. Yoga for back pain is a common reason that people begin practicing.

Let’s look at some of the ten best yoga poses for back pain and how to do them correctly so you can feel better quickly.

 

The 10 Best Yoga Poses for Back Pain

Many different asanas, or yoga poses, target areas of the body and offers relief for different ailments. Let’s focus on yoga for back pain and look at ten asanas to help you find relief.

 

Cat-Cow Yoga Pose

Cat-cow yoga pose works and stretches many muscles around the spine, torso, shoulders, and neck, including the erector spinae, triceps, rectus abdominis, serratus anterior, and gluteus maximus. This pose is performed on your hands and knees for about a minute at a time.

 

Downward-Facing Dog Yoga Pose

Downward-facing dog is an excellent way to use yoga for back pain or sciatica. Performing this pose for a few minutes every day can help improve balance and strength. This pose targets the hamstrings, deltoids, gluteus maximus, triceps, and quadriceps.

 

Extended Triangle Yoga Pose

The extended triangle pose relieves backache, neck pain, sciatica, stress, and anxiety from a standing position. Consistent practice in this pose works the latissimus dorsi, internal obliques, the gluteus maximus and medius muscles, hamstrings, and quadriceps, allowing you to stretch your spine deeply, groin, and hips. Best of all, it only takes a few minutes per day to complete.

 

Sphinx Yoga Pose

The Sphinx yoga pose is performed while lying on your stomach. It works muscles like the erector spinae, gluteal muscles, trapezius, pectoralis major, and latissimus dorsi, and it stretches the spine and buttocks beautifully. Remain in this position for up to 5 minutes for the best results.

 

Cobra Yoga Pose

Much like the Sphinx yoga pose, the Cobra pose is also performed on your stomach. When doing yoga for back pain, you can do this to work muscles like the deltoids, triceps, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, and serratus anterior. Regular practice can give you relief from sciatica and generalized back pain.

 

Locust Yoga Pose

The Locust pose is perfect for finding relief from lower back pain and strengthening the back, arms, torso, and legs. When performing this pose, individuals work muscles like the triceps, gluteus maximus, erector spinae, and trapezius. Hold the pose for a minute at a time to find relief from pain and fight fatigue.

 

Bridge Yoga Pose

The bridge yoga pose is perfect for providing relief and stretching the spine. When performing this backbend and inversion pose, an individual works the rectus and transverse abdominis muscles, gluteus muscles, erector spinae, and hamstrings. You can hold this position for up to one minute and then slowly drop to the floor, vertebrae by vertebrae until you’re lying flat on your back.

 

Half Lord of the Fishes Yoga Pose

To energize the spine and help alleviate backache, performing the Half Lord of the Fishes pose is recommended. This twisting pose stretches the shoulders, neck, and hips, working muscles like the rhomboids, erector spinae, pectoralis major, serratus anterior, and psoas. Hold the pose for one minute at a time and then switch to the other side.

 

Two-Knee Spinal Twist Yoga Pose

The two-knee spinal twist pose stretches your spine, shoulders, and back as you twist into position. It also helps with stiffness and pain in your back and your hips. Hold this pose for 30 seconds at a time before switching sides, and you’ll be working your erector spinae, rectus abdominus, pectoralis major, and trapezius muscles.

 

Child’s Yoga Pose

Child’s pose is a popular pose that provides tremendous relaxation and release from tension. It also helps to stretch your spine, hips, thighs, and ankles. You’ll work the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, spinal extensors, and rotator cuff muscles when performing this pose. Best of all, you can remain in child’s pose for up to five minutes at a time.

 

Schedule Yoga Classes in Queen Creek Today!

If you suffer from chronic back pain or if you’d like to see what yoga is all about, we’d love to meet you. Check out our class schedule to see our current yoga classes, and contact us to sign up today. We can’t wait to practice yoga with you.