Yoga for Spine Problems or Lower Back Ache, Cervical, Lumber Spondylitis A lot of people suffer from low back ache at some point or the other. It is experienced not only by people with sedentary lifestyle but by office workers hooked to their computer 9 to 5 as well as highly-trained athletes. Reasons are multifarious, it could be stress or being in one position for long hours or zero exercise. Some of the asans recommended are:
Marjaryasana and Bitilasana (Cow Pose / Cat Pose) Procedure
Bring your hands beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips.
Inhale as you bring your stomach toward the earth and lift your heart and hips to the sky into Bitilasana (Cow Pose).
Spread across your shoulders. Exhale as you round your upper back toward the sky, dropping your gaze to your navel and pressing your hands and feet into the earth in Marjaryasana (Cat Pose). Continue for 10 rounds.
Benefits:
Breathing deeply in these poses massages your organs as you alternately compress and lengthen the intestines.
It pumps fresh blood to the cells, which are responsible for healthy gut function.
Trikonasan Steps
Stand in an upright position and Spread the legs 3 to 4 feet apart, toes pointing forward.
With an inhalation (Radhey), raise the arms sideways to the shoulder level, palms facing down.
With an exhalation (Shyam), slowly bend down to the right from your waist as far as possible & try to touch the right foot with the right hand
Do not bend either forward or backward; keep the knees and the elbows locked; the left arm is straightened up, in line with the right hand, palm facing forward.
Benefits:
Trikonasan tones and alleviates the nervous system, constipation and improves digestion
While stretching the sides of the body, the waist is made very flexible and reducices waistline fat
Tadasan Tadasan derives its name from Sanskrit word “Tada” meaning a „palm tree‟. In this asana body looks like a palm tree. Regular practice of this asana increases height and improves our posture. Steps
Stand erect on the floor with a distance of 6inches between the legs. Legs, waist and neck all should be in a straight line. Your weight should be evenly spread on the feet.
Raise your arms upwards parallel to each other clasp your hands as shown. Inhale and raise both hands slowly upwards and stretch upwards by lifting your heals and stand on your toes
Retain breath,stretch all of your body upwards as far as possible. Keep your legs and arms straight (no bending). Stay in the pose for 15 seconds.
While exhaling, slowly bring your hands down. Bring your heels on the floor as in starting position.
Benefits:
Helps you maintain balance through a higher degree of control of your own body.
Improves your posture and betters your ability to sustain and hold the posture for a longer period of time.
It tones, strengthens and stretch your knees, back, arms, thighs and works on your core stomach muscles.
Dhanurasan Steps
Lie down on your stomach. Bend the knees, hold the left ankle with the left hand and the right ankle with the right hand.
Now inhaling gently pull the legs up by lifting the knees above the floor and, meanwhile, raise the chest and head and draw it backwards.
The abdomen should bear the whole body weight on the floor separate the knees to raise the body higher and try to arch the back as far as possible.
Stay in this pose for 15-20 seconds with normal breathing,then slowly come to the floor.
Benefits
Effective in weight loss.
Improves digestion and appetite and cures constipation.
Gives flexibility and strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.
Good stress and fatigue buster
Cures respiratory disorder like asthama.
Improve function of the pancreas and it is beneficial in diabetes.
Bhujangansan or Cobra Pose Steps
While inhaling slowly, raise your head tilt it back and chest upwards by pressing down on the hands but letting contraction of the back take most of the strain.
Your body from toes to the navel should rest on the floor.
Then look up, hold your breath in this pose as long as possible without feeling uncomfortable Then while exhaling, slowly return to the face-down position.
Benefits
Bhujangasana strengthens pancreas, liver and other organs of digestive system.
Cures constipation, indigestion, asthma and dysentery.
Makes spine more flexible, cures cervical problems, slipped disk and back pain.
Caution
People having undergone recent abdominal surgery or having backache and hernia patients should not try this pose.
Shalabhasan Steps
Lie down on your stomach.
Place your arms under the body as closer to each other as possible with the palms on the floor under the thighs and facing upwards.
Gently stretch the chin a bit forward and touch it on the floor at all times.
Keep the legs straight and together and inhaling deeply (Radhey), slowly raise both the legs as high as possible with the help of the arms and lower back muscles,hold for 15-20 seconds.
Exhale, comfortably lower the legs to the floor.
BENEFITS
The practice of this asan is useful in treating spinal problems.
It synchronises the nervous system, balances the whole digestive system and is also equally helpful in curing abdominal ailments.
Ardhamatsyendrasan Steps
Sit up with the legs stretched keeping the feet together and the spine erect.
Bend the left leg and place the heal of the left foot beneath the right hip and take the right leg over the left knee.
Place the left hand on the right knee and the right hand behind you.
Twist the waist, shoulders and neck in this sequence to the right and look over the right shoulder hold for 15-20 seconds with long an deep breathing.
Exhale and bring the right hand behind you, come back to your normal position.
Repeat to the other side.
Benefits:
Stretches the elasticity of the spine, tones the nerves of the spine and makes the functioning of the spinal cord supple.
Stretches the muscles on one side of the body whilst compressing the muscles on the other side.
Relieves back pain and stiffness and very useful for slipped disc.
Veerasan Steps
Place the right foot at a 45 degree angle to the left foot.
Bend the left leg to a 90 degree angle so that the thigh is parallel with the floor.
Raise the arms straight over the head with palms joined in Namaskar position.
Take the arms backwards as far as possible.
Stretch the entire body backward while maintaining the balance.
Benefits:
Improves the strength and blood supply to the joints like the ankles, knees, hips, lumber region, cervical region and shoulders.
Abdominal muscles are stretched so helps to remove fat from the region.
Helps to maintain the proper balance of the body.
Improves the flexibility of the spinal column.
Ushtrasan or Camel Pose Steps
Come to Dandasan,then gently fold the legs and come to Vajrasan.
With the support of the hands, stand on the knees on the floor with the ankles together.
Rest the palms on the waist, stretching the thighs & extending the ribs
As you inhale, bend slowly towards the back and place the right palm over the right heel and the left palm over the left heel.
You should make the thighs vertical, push the upper trunk towards the thighs and the hips forward, with normal breathing hold on for 15-20 seconds.
Exhaling, slowly come back to the normal position by releasing the hands one by one and placing them on the waist.
Benefits
It stretches and tones our front body, including the limbs, chest, abdomen, and thighs.
It strengthens the back and shoulders and gives relief in lower backache.
The beginners should not hold the posture for more than 15-20 seconds.
It also improves the digestive respiratory and skeletal system.
This posture is highly recommended for people suffering from asthma .
Caution: It is advisable to practice all the asans under guided instruction or it might prove counter productive. Source: Natural-Cure.Org