Easy Yoga Poses For Lower Back Pain That You Can Do Daily
Yoga is a beautiful practice that helps to make you physically, mentally, and spiritually fit. There are many ways in which yoga can help, and there are many health conditions that can be easily solved by doing the correct set of yoga. One of those conditions is lower back pain!
Back pain could be attributed to the stiffening of the vertebral column due to age, or less mobility, or other pathological factors. Nevertheless, practising light yoga daily not only helps to relieve your back pain, but also helps to strengthen your back muscle, increase the flexibility of your back, and correct your posture. So why not prefer yoga poses for lower back pain as a solution?
Standing Yoga Poses For Hip Pain
1. Mountain Pose with Block | 5 breaths
Mountain pose helps build balance and reminds you to engage your core. It is a very effective yoga pose to start your practice with because it is beginner-friendly and allows for complete breath and centering.
- Place a block between your thighs and squeeze it.
- As you press your thighs into the block, also use them to press the block slightly back .
- Take deep breaths and try to relax the mind
2. Mountain Pose with Step Downs | 5 Breaths per side
Mountain pose helps strengthen your gluteus medius, which helps stabilize your pelvis. It is an approachable and relaxing pose for most.
- This time, place a block on the ground.
- Put your left foot on top of it and your right foot on the ground.
- Focus on keeping that neutral alignment of your pelvis here as you add in some simple movement.
- Firm your left outer hip and slowly lift your right foot to the height of your left.
- While keeping the neutral pelvis and engaged outer hip, slowly step your right foot back down.
- Repeat 4 times then switch sides.
3. Mountain Pose with Leg Lifts | 5 breaths per side
Mountain pose with leg lifts helps strengthen your hip flexors and improve balance.
Beginner Yoga Poses To Help Relieve Back Pain
Yoga can play a powerful role in relieving back pain. As a health coach at Hinge Health, I have the privilege of helping people overcome their chronic back and joint pain, so they can live happier, healthier, and more productive lives. By engaging our bodies, challenging our muscles, and moving in new ways, we can literally change the narrative of our pain stories and create a better outcome for ourselves.
The first step usually involves getting my clients comfortable moving their bodies in ways that they didn’t initially think possible. If you feel intimidated by yoga, youre not alone. You may believe that you have to be able to twist into pretzel-like shapes, wear skin-tight pants, and have impeccable balance to perfect the practice of yoga, but nothing could be further from the truth!
Yoga is truly accessible for every body type, every shape, and size, and is well-suited for all physical and mental conditions. Yoga is an effective practice for improving your strength, flexibility, and mobility, all the while fostering a greater sense of mindfulness. According to research published in 2020, 74% of individuals who practice yoga experience less lower back and neck pain.
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How To Move Into Standing Forward Fold:
Start in a standing position with your feet hips-width distance apart. Inhale, then exhale and bend at your hips. Keep your back straight and pull your hips back as you fold, then, relax your upper body toward the floor. Hold onto opposite elbows and relax your neck. Keep your knees soft or slightly bent. Hold for 5 to 10 full rounds of breath.
Reclined Spinal Twist Pose
This pose is one of the most comfy ones for the lower back and hips. It will also stretch your neck, shoulders, and chest. Lie on your back and hug your knees into your chest. Breathe in deeply, and then exhale completely, lowering both legs to the floor on your left . Position your arms out to your sides, or place your left forearm on your right thigh to encourage a deep stretch, relaxing both shoulders to the floor. Shift your gaze over your right shoulder. Close your eyes, take 10 deep breaths, and then release. Repeat to your other side.
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Regulating The Sleep Routine
Sleeping or even lying in an awkward position for too long can also initiate your lower back pain. Try to sleep on one side with your knees folded towards your chest. This pose is considered ideal for relieving your back stress pain. Taking in 1 or 2 pillows in between your legs will soothe your back more.
Try to change your mattress as well if itâs too soft and does not maintain your back shape.
Top 10 Yoga For Lower Back And Hip Pain
Pain in the lower back or hips is usually brought about by injury, overuse of your lower back and hips, or a medical condition. Depending on the cause, the pain may occur on one side or both.
What is difficult and most challenging with hip and lower back pain is that they are often ignored or overlooked because its common or normal to experience pain in these areas during certain activities.
There are many factors which can cause lower back and hip pain, though the most common are due to strains and sprains brought about by common daily activities, chores, and accidents such as lifting heavy objects, twisting your body too quickly or in the wrong way.
Other possible causes of lower back and hip injury include, Pagets disease, arthritis, tight hip flexors, or a herniated disk, and this is just to name a few.
Whatever the cause of the pain you experience on your hip and lower back it is safe to assume that it prevents you from enjoying your day to day activities.
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Tips For Practicing Spinal Twist:
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If you cant comfortably reach your elbow to the outside of your knee, wrap your arm around your knee instead. You can slightly pull on your thigh to deepen your twist.
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Lengthen your spine towards the ceiling the entire time you hold this pose.
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Keep an equal balance in your left and right sit bones on the floor.
Thread The Needle Pose
This pose is known to loosen the upper back muscles. It deeply stretches out the sides of the body youll definitely feel it as you thread the needle.
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Restorative Yoga Poses And Sequences For Hip And Back Pain
Lower back pain and tight hips are shared complaints amongst many people. According to the National Institute of Health , back pain is a common reason for work absences. Causes for these ailments range from overuse, underuse, scoliosis, sprains, strains, arthritis, disc issues, inflammation, sciatica, and even kidney stones. If a healthcare professional rules out significant illness and injury, restorative yoga for hip and back pain is an option.
Restorative yoga focuses on healing the body. It is a passive form of yoga that encourages tension release from specific areas. Restorative yoga poses are held for five minutes or more with particular attention brought to the breath. For this reason, it is not uncommon for a 60-minute yoga class to focus on only three to five yoga poses. It is essential to understand this before entering into a therapeutic restorative session, as holding these relaxing poses does require mental focus and surrender.
Practicing a restorative yoga class at home is one way to determine if this type of class is best for your needs. This type of yoga, along with specific poses, are known to help better sleep and reduce insomnia. Restorative yoga for hip and back pain back pain is shared below. If there is pain at any time, discontinue the practice and contact your healthcare provider. Likewise, if you have sustained a lower back or hip injury, please share this sequence with your medical professional for sign-off before attempting.
Legs Up The Wall Pose
This stretch helps your increase your spine length and adjust the posture right.
Lie down on your yoga mat with your legs up the wall. Try to maximize your spine long as you attach your legs to the wall. Hold this pose for some breaths and keep your shoulders and neck straight in line with your spine.
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Head To Knee Forward Bend Pose
This pose is similar to seated forward fold, and provides the same benefits. It also stretches your groin. Assume the same starting position as the forward fold, but slide the sole of your left foot against your right inner thigh. Keeping your right foot flexed, lower your left knee as far as you can into a half-butterfly position. Walk your hands down the sides of your right leg as you fold forward as far as you can with your torso. Hold for 8-10 breaths, and then slowly rise back up. Switch legs and repeat.
Supported Wide Leg Forward Fold Recommended Duration: 5 Minutes
- Find a seat on your blanket this is especially important if you lack hip mobility and flexibility. By elevating the backside, your pelvis can find a natural tilt, which lengthens the lower back, and in turn, helps open your hips to new possibilities.
- Place a bolster between your legs, connecting with your midline, and vertically facing. Place a block on top of the bolster either second to lowest or lowest height. On an inhale breath sit up tall and find length in the back body. On an exhale breath let your chest soften over the bolster and forehead connect with the block. Stay for 5 minutes. Feel free to lower or remove the block as the hips soften and open.
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Tips For Best Practice:
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Focus on your lower back here. Feel your neutral sacrum pressing into the ground.
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Keep this pose active with a balanced press and pull between your heel and hand.
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We love to follow this pose with 5 to 10 minutes of Savasana lie on your back, bring your heels in line with your hips and let your toes fall out, close your eyes, and relax.
Start incorporating these 9 yoga poses for lower back pain into your daily routine, and soon enough the tight, aching pain will start to subside as you return to neutral alignment and a balanced body.
Which poses do you love for releasing lower back pain? Tell us in the comments below?
Seated Forward Fold Pose
Tight hamstrings are a common cause of lower back pain, and if you have a desk job, youre at risk for both. Perform the seated forward fold paschimottanasana several times a day to stretch your shoulders, hamstrings, and spine. Sit on your mat with your legs straight, your feet together and flexed, your torso erect , and your chin lifted like youre proud to be performing this pose . Take a deep breath in, straightening up as much as you can, and then fold forward, walking your hands down the sides of your legs as you lower your torso as far as you can. Hold the pose for 8-10 breaths, and then slowly reverse the movement to raise your torso back up.
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The Goal Of Yoga Poses
The goal of yoga poses isn’t about bending and forcing your body into certain positionsthat could actually cause more back pain. Instead, yoga poses teach you proper alignment, such as how to maintain good posture. You may also become more flexible and be better able to maintain your balance.
When you do yoga posesyou can do them standing, sitting, and lying downyou should feel comfortable in them. But before getting to the more advanced poses, you have to practice the easier versions of the poses.
Think about it: If you’ve never trained for a marathon before, you wouldn’t just force your body into running 26.2 miles, would you? Why would you want to force your body into certain yoga poses if your body’s not ready for them?
Yogasanas For Hip Pain: 5 Simple Yoga Poses To Provide Relief From Lower Back Discomfort
Hip and lower back pain are quite common nowadays owing to the sedentary lifestyle most people follow. And furthermore, due to current situation, with work from home in effect, people have become more lethargic and fail to maintain a correct posture while working at home. Most people simply sit on the sofa or lie on the bed and work causing enough stress and strain on the hip muscles.
Apart from having a bad posture while sitting or sleeping, even while trying to reach out for something placed at an elevated level, one can strain the muscles of the pelvic and hip area creating intense pain and agony. If left untreated, this discomfort can even cause pain in the groin, the thigh muscles, inside or outside the hip joint, and in the buttocks and this can ultimately reduce movement. Also Read: Yogasanas For Heart: 5 Incredible Yoga Poses To Keep Cardiac Anomalies At Check
Yoga is one such traditional form of stretching that is an answer to several bodily issues. Regular practice of yogasanas not only prevents stiffness in the joints and muscles of the hips but also improves blood circulation in that area. These asanas if done properly, is beneficial for more than one area. Hence, apart from relieving pain from around the hips, it improves breathing, boosts stamina, and bolsters the overall immune system. Also Read: Immunity Booster: These Yoga Postures Ensure Both Your Mental and Physical Wellbeing
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What Causes Tight Hips And Lower Back Pain
Like any pain, there are many potential causes, and lower back pain is no different. However, when it comes to hip tightness, one of the most commonly cited causes is from sitting for several hours a day. The health of your lower back region can be directly affected by hip flexors and hamstrings.
When you sit for long periods of time, hip flexors can get tight. This effect increases the likelihood of lower back pain. Your hip muscles are in a shortened position for a prolonged time which doesnt do you any favors. If you dont have the time to step away during a work day, you can still reap the benefits and do yoga at your office desk.
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Yoga Poses To Ease Lower Back Pain
In a recent article, we talked about mindfulness and how you can use mind tricks to control your pain. This week, we are giving you 5 easy yoga poses that can help ease your lower back pain. Since the lower back tends to be a sensitive area, working on yoga can help ease pain and possibly help you with future pain.
The lower back, or the lumbar region, can be an area that often gets sensitive for most of us at some point in our lives. Whether we have to sit a lot during the day, or whether we move a lot, the lumbar region can get affected. In any case, pain in the lower back can seriously affect your mood and your day. Yoga can offer a great relief for the pain, as well as provide great preventative care for the future. Here are five yoga poses to ease lower back pain and relieve that dull ache.
1. Supine TwistA twist to the spine offers a great tension reliever for the entire back, as well as the neck. You get to lay down, relax and let the gravity help you. Lay on your back, bring your arms to a T-shape on the floor, and bring your knees towards your chest. Slowly lower both knees to the left, keeping the neck neutral or turning the gaze away from the knees. Try to keep both shoulders on the floor, and if the top knee lifts too much, you can place a block or a bolster between the knees. Stay anywhere between 1-4 minutes, and repeat on the other side.
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Tight Hips And Lower Back Pain
When a person has tight hips, they are referring to their hip flexors. The hip flexors are a group of muscles around the top of your thighs. They connect the top of the leg to the hip. These are the muscles that allow you to bend and lift your legs. Many people suffer from tight hips from people who sit for several hours a day to athletes and gym-goers.
With tight hips, you may not only experience hip discomfort but lower back pain and hamstring strain too. Tight hips can lead to issues in the lower back and knees. Tight hips not only feel uncomfortable, but they can affect your workout and your range of motion. This can impact everything from how low you can squat to the efficiency of your running.
Yoga is a great way to open up your hips and loosen up the lower back. Hip-opening stretches can relieve tightness and strengthen your hips. Stretching not only helps your hips but is beneficial to your overall health.
As with any body movement, always listen to your body. A stretch may feel sore to begin with, but this will eventually lead to relief. If you feel any sharp pain whatsoever, then slowly move out of the pose.
