Yoga for back pain is one of the best, and quickest ways that you can help eradicate a sore back, especially lower back pain whilst improving your posture and totally relaxing your body and mind.
It is often said that sitting is just like smoking because of the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle. Sitting on a table or desk for a full day not only affects your eyes but it has an impact on your full body. It affects your metabolism, your posture, and your ability to manage stress and anxiety at the same time.
Unfortunately, we lose our naturally good posture once we discovered the television, a computer, screens, or a book. Over years of sitting and being hunched over it’s normal to have bad posture by the time you reached adulthood, but ultimately this bad posture can get worse and lead to back pain. Which left untreated can get worse and worse.
If you have to sit for several hours in a day to do your work then your posture is very important. If your posture is negatively affected by the way you sit then you should know that bad posture can lead to many other serious issues such as cardiovascular problems, digestion problems and it can eventually change the curve of your spine which is not a good thing at all as it will create a whole new level of back pain and immobility.
Yoga is an excellent way to reverse the negative effects of sitting all day and the other lifestyle habits that affect our posture.
Yoga for back pain allows you to gently open up your spine again and help to rest it.
Some yoga poses which are also known as heart openers are best to invert hunched back and shoulder which are the result of excessive sitting in a bad posture.
Yoga is not only great for helping your postural issues but if you workout your body will likely need gentle stretching and relaxing, yoga is the way forward for you.
In this article, we are going to go through five yoga poses that are best to revert the effects of a bad posture which will help prevent back pain and hopefully eradicate it if you are already suffering.
Don’t worry if you can’t do these yoga poses right away, yoga takes practice, years in fact, so take your time and get to know the poses. Over time you will gradually get better and more comfortable in the moves.
Yoga for back pain – Best Yoga Poses For Bad Posture
We have enlisted some of the best yoga poses that are very beneficial for treating the negative effects of bad posture. You can practice all the poses together or you can choose some of the poses that you feel most comfortable with and which helps you the most.
1. Heart Bench – Fish Pose
It is also known as a supported fish pose in Yin Yoga. This pose is best to practice before you go to bed or after a long car drive. It helps you to relax and get rid of all the fatigue in your body. It feels so amazing that once you start practicing this pose and dives deep into its feelings you ‘ll never want to get out of that feeling.
How To Practice Heart Bench?
- To Practice this pose, you require 2 yoga blocks.
- Set and place both blocks at a medium height like a “T”.
- Place your shoulders in such a way that “T” will rest between your shoulder blades
- When you are laying your back on the blocks there should be an opening between your chest but you shouldn’t feel discomfort.
- Stay relaxed and pull your shoulders away from your ears and rest your palms by your upper side.
2. Plank Pose
Although the plank pose is not a heart opener it is very useful in building core strength and core strength plays an important role in maintaining a good posture. It will help you in standing tall.
How To Practice Plank Pose?
- Keep your feet at a hip-width distance and spread your fingers.
- Now try to press the floor with your hands while all muscles of your leg are active. Your thighs should lift the kneecaps and extend energy through back heels.
- Lift your hips up so that they are in line with your shoulders and make sure that they don’t sink or sag towards the mat.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds and you can increase this interval up to one minute as you get more grip on this exercise.
3. Camel Pose
Camel pose feels amazing and is great for easing your back pain. It is also known as Ustrasana and it is best for opening your heart, throat, and shoulders. When you practice this pose the deep bend of your back will undo all hunching which happens when you sit at a desk or computer table for a long time.
How To Practice Camel Pose?
There are many different variations in camel pose but we will look at the two most common variations. In both variations, the practitioner has to sit on his knees and toes tucked under, lengthening up through the crown.
- In the first variation, you have to press your palms into your lower back to protect the lumbar spine.
- Now press your hips ahead, lift your heart, gaze upside while keeping your thighs active, and your shoulders away from your eyes.
- The second variation begins when the first one is over. In this variation your backbends deeps by reaching back one hand to grab your heels.
- Your hips should be pressing forward and your thighs should be active.
- Hold there until you take 3 more breaths.
- After doing a few rounds of the camel pose, sit with a neutral spine until one breathe and then fold forward to Child’s Pose to release the spine
4. Cobra Pose
Cobra pose is also known as Bhujangasana. It is especially useful in strengthening your arms while opening shoulders and back at the same time.
How to practice Cobra Pose?
- Lay down on your belly and place your hands beneath the shoulders.
- Separate your fingers so that they are wide open and press down while lifting your head, neck, and chest off the mat.
- Squeeze your elbows tight with your side body and slightly tuck your chin so that there isn’t any strain on your neck.
- Hold for three to five breaths for two or three rounds
- Release and press back to Child’s Pose
5. Downward Facing Dog
This pose is also known as Down Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana. It is one of the poses that we learn first when we start practicing yoga but it is one of the most powerful poses. It not only strengthens your arms shoulder and core but also opens the hamstrings, back, chest, and shoulders.
How To Practice Downward-facing Dog Pose?
- From the plank pose position press your hips up and back, press your chest towards your spine.
- Your heels should be at a hip-width distance apart and reaching down towards the mat.
- Spread your fingers wide so that your weight is evenly distributed.
- Relax your head and neck, shoulders away from the ears, and send your gaze towards your toes.
- Hold it for 5 breaths up to one full minute.
These yoga poses are quite simple but are very powerful and beneficial for reducing the negative impacts of bad posture and strength your body muscles especially your neck and spine.
Do these yoga poses every day in the morning before you set off on with your daily tasks to help fix your back and improve your overall posture.
Hey there, I’m Luke, and I’ve been immersed in the fitness world since 2007. From gym floors to running my own personal training business, I’ve seen it all. My journey led me to study Sports Science at university, where I deepened my understanding of the science behind exercise.
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