| Back problems are often a hazard, making it difficult to | | | | weight of your body evenly over the feet, and slightly |
| do the common things that most take for granted: lift | | | | press your arms into the sides of your body. Stay in a |
| objects, bend down, or even sitting in a cushy armchair. | | | | firm posture while tightening your buttocks and |
| While GPs recommend diets, pills, and hospital | | | | stomach muscles, and breathe in slowly through the |
| treatments to help cope with enduring symptoms, | | | | nose, out through the mouth. |
| more and more people have been turning to | | | | 2) Crescent Moon Pose: this pose strengthens your |
| non-western approaches to help them overcome their | | | | back, legs, and shoulders, helping you build extra |
| problems. Why? Because they work. One alternative | | | | stamina. Complete it in two steps: |
| technique has been particularly popular for back pain | | | | Kneel down onto your knees and keep a straight back. |
| sufferers: yoga. | | | | Take a step forward with your right foot until the foot |
| How does it work? | | | | is a little past your right knee. Keep the leg parallel to |
| Yoga comes in many different forms, some of which | | | | the floor. |
| are more of a workout and others which soothe the | | | | Stretch both arms above your head, hooking the |
| mind and body. Through a combination of poses and | | | | thumbs together. Keeping your balance, slowly lift your |
| breathing exercises, yoga aims to help your body get | | | | left knee off the floor, stretch out the leg, and make |
| aligned, improve you posture, and make you more | | | | sure your weight is spread evenly over both the front |
| aware of what your body is doing. | | | | and leg. Pay attention to keeping your chest low, |
| Osteopaths and yoga experts recommend a style | | | | otherwise you create a hollow in your back. |
| that is known as hatha yoga for people who are | | | | 3) The Child Pose: this pose helps you stretch your |
| suffering from back problems, as it is one of the | | | | spine, hips, and thighs, and should help alleviate the |
| gentlest forms that involves careful stretches, easy | | | | psychical and emotional stresses in your body. Carry it |
| breathing exercises, and practices of the basic yoga | | | | out in three steps: |
| poses. They discourage yoga variations such as | | | | Kneel onto your knees, keeping the knees slightly |
| Bikram and Ashtanga, as they can be hard on the | | | | parted, sitting with your feet pointing outwards. |
| back. Hatha yoga can make it easier to recover | | | | Gently place your forehead on the floor in front of you |
| quickly from back problems such as Sciatica, | | | | and swing your arms forward, so that your shoulders |
| Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia, and can also prevent | | | | brush your ears. |
| them from occurring in the first place. | | | | With your head still touching the floor, bring your arms |
| What you can do | | | | around to your sides, with the palms facing upwards. |
| Here are some hatha exercises you can follow to | | | | This non-western approach can therefore be a great |
| increase your backs strength and flexibility, while | | | | supplement or alternative to the treatments that are |
| soothing some of the worst pain: | | | | commonly adopted in the UK. As long as you take |
| 1) Begin with a stretch before moving into to the | | | | great care when carrying out each pose, hatha yoga |
| exercise poses. Start in the Mountain Pose position : | | | | can make you feel fitter and younger. |
| stand up straight with your feet together, balance the | | | | |