5 Yoga Asanas to Strengthen Your Spine
Modern living is getting to us, we start our days off with hour long traffic jams followed by more sitting behind a desk. The lifestyle can be harmful and strenuous in the least and turn out disastrous for our health in most cases. So, what is the most common symptom of stress and declining health? –Back pain.
With over 10 million new cases of back related problems arising in India alone, back pain is slowly turning into an epidemic that is considered a common side effect of adulthood; how much of that we accept and live with is entirely up to us.
The real sideeffects of back pain aren’t noticeable immediately, but a couple of months of prolonged pain and we notice issues ranging from shortness of breath to acidity to fatigue. It does not paint a very pretty picture for the future. But fret not!
If you believe that living with pain is not normal, then these five back exercises are just the solution you need.
1. Ardha Matsyendrasana or the Spinal Twist -
●Helps stretch the back muscles and spine
●Increases oxygen supply to lungs
●Increases flexibility and helps cure disc related injuries
Here’s how you can do this asana -
●Sit erect with legs stretched out, feet placed together and spine erect.
●Bend your left leg in a way that your left heel lays next to your right hip.
●Next, place the right leg next to your left knee (take it over the knee).
●Twist your upper body towards the right, and gaze over your right shoulder. Keep your spine erect.
●Hold this pose for 30 to 60 and take deep breaths.
●Slowly release the right hand, followed by the waist, and then the neck to sit straight.
●Repeat the above steps on the other side.
2. Setu Bandhasana or the Bridge post –
●Stretches the chest, neck, spine, and hips
●Improves circulation of blood
●Helps alleviate stress and mild depression
●Stimulates the lungs, thyroid glands, and abdominal glands
Here are details that help you perform the asana -
●Lie down on your back.
●Draw your feet towards the hips.
●Keep your feet parallel to each other.
●Next, lift yourself up with your stomach going upwards along with your back, hip and thighs.
●You can use your hands to support your back if needed. Hold the pose for some time and breathe normally.
●Slowly come down and relax.
●Repeat.
3. Bhujangasana or the Cobra –
●Stretches muscles in the shoulders and decreases stiffness of the lower back
●Strengthens the arms and shoulders
●Increases flexibility
●Improves menstrual irregularities
Here’s how you can do Bhujangasana:
●Lie on your stomach with your toes flat on the floor. Let your forehead rest on the ground.
●Keep your legs close to each other with your feet touching each other.
●Place your hands under your shoulders.
●Take a deep breath and slowly lift your head, chest and abdomen; navel touching the
floor.
●Hold the position for as long as possible and focus on your breathing.
●Bring your torso back slowly.
●Repeat.
4. Dhanurasana or the Bow –
●Strengthens back and abdominal muscles
●Relaxes the chest, neck and shoulders
●Tones the leg and arm muscles
●Relieves menstrual discomfort
Steps that help you perform Dhanurasana:
●Lie on your stomach.
●Hold both your feet from the back such that it looks like a bow.
●Pull your feet slowly as much as you can.
●Look straight ahead.
●Hold the position for as long as possible and focus on your breathing.
●Gently bring your legs and chest to the ground and relax.
●Repeat.
5. Utthita Lolasana –
●Strengthens wrists and legs
●Develops abdominal muscles
●Strengthens back muscles
●Improves body balance
Steps to do Utthita Lolasana:
●Stand with legs wide apart. Inhaling, raise both arms above the head and allow the wrist to relax so that the hands drop forwards.
●Exhaling bend the upper body forward.
●Breathing normally, allow the upper body and arms to hang relaxed for a short while.
●Inhaling, raise the upper body and arms to horizontal.
●Swing the upper body and arms down between the legs.
●Repeat the raising and swinging of the upper body and arms 10 times in rhythm with the breath.
●Allow the upper body and arms to hang relaxed for a while.
●Inhaling slowly, come upright and stretch the arms upwards.
●The hands fall forwards relaxed.
●Return to starting position and exhale.
Keeping 20 minutes aside in a day to do these simple stretches and poses not only helps increase
flexibility and reduce back pain, but they also have long term benefits for your overall health. Take a swing at it and let us know how you feel after your workout session.
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