| Almost everyone has had some sort of back pain | | | | Instead of just stretching the area that hurts, yoga |
| during the course of their lives. For most, it eventually | | | | affects the entire body. When a student decides to |
| goes away. For some, however, back pain never | | | | make yoga practice a regular part of his or her |
| goes away. Yoga could be the answer to back pain. | | | | lifestyle, all the muscles of the body learn to work |
| Recent studies show that regular yoga practice can | | | | together. This results in providing longer lasting relief, |
| have an extraordinary effect on relieving the stiffness | | | | which increases with regular yoga practice. Stretching |
| and agony of chronic back pain. | | | | also increases circulation, which relieves back pain. |
| Yoga provides relief from back pain in several | | | | In daily life, the muscles that support the back rarely |
| different ways. This has to do with the way the spine | | | | get properly worked out. For proper support of the |
| is affected by the alignment and function of all the | | | | back, many muscles around the core of the body |
| parts of the body. The condition of the legs, hips, pelvis, | | | | must be strong. Yoga strengthens these muscles and |
| shoulders and even the buttocks, influences the | | | | brings muscle groups into balance. |
| condition of the back. Due to this, as you improve | | | | For most people who spend much of their day seated, |
| strength and flexibility throughout the body, your back is | | | | facing their computer, and leaning slightly forward, their |
| in better shape. | | | | hips will take on much of the pressure. The hips are |
| The vast majority of people, do not pay terribly close | | | | also staying mostly stationary and locked in position. |
| attention to the way they move and hold their bodies, | | | | When the hips become weak and stiff from this |
| throughout the day. Sometimes we hold ourselves in | | | | day-to-day atrophying, proper posture and support is |
| ways that harm, rather than support our frame. Often | | | | lost. Yoga poses, such as the triangle pose, open up |
| we entertain poor posture or sit awkwardly most of | | | | the hips when properly done. Novice yogis must make |
| the day in an office chair, allowing stress and tension | | | | sure to get in-person instruction from a competent |
| to overtake our muscles and mind. | | | | teacher, before attempting any yoga pose. |
| Studies reveal that yoga is better than conventional | | | | An emphasis on yoga poses (asanas) is a science of |
| exercise because of this very element. Yoga involves | | | | good posture. Yoga instruction teaches the proper |
| a great deal of mental focus and a purposeful mindset. | | | | way to move between poses and hold a pose during |
| While performing poses, yoga students are instructed | | | | class. Yet, the posture practice transcends the class |
| to pay close attention to their breath. Meditation and | | | | into daily life, which teaches us to sit and stand in |
| visualization create a direct link between the | | | | healthy ways, during the course of a day. |
| movements of the body and breathing. These | | | | These lessons provide a comprehensive program of |
| interconnecting elements trigger high degrees of body | | | | movements to stretch, strengthen, and retrain all areas |
| awareness. | | | | of the body. Basically the body is being taught how to |
| The result is that even when people are not doing | | | | move again. |
| yoga, they will still become aware of how they may | | | | For example: Pelvic tilts, or the bridge pose, warm up |
| have been moving and positioning their bodies in | | | | the hips and lower back before progressing to more |
| unhealthy ways. In turn, people who practice yoga | | | | complicated postures. The cat-cow pose, and |
| make better and healthier choices in movement, | | | | downward facing dog, are also recommended for |
| consciously and unconsciously. They experience a | | | | back pain. |
| higher degree of flexibility and range of movement. Not | | | | Cautiously practicing the forward spinal stretching of |
| only that, yoga reduces overall muscle tension, which is | | | | the plow pose, with proper guidance, relieves |
| a big cause of back pain. | | | | discomfort in both the upper and lower back and |
| Yoga increases flexibility by stretching and lengthening | | | | increases spinal flexibility. This pose is sometimes |
| the muscles of the body. Stretching is a big help for | | | | recommended to accompany the shoulder stand pose. |
| any kind of back pain. Yoga poses require students to | | | | As previously mentioned, the triangle pose helps back |
| stretch and hold their bodies in a variety of ways that | | | | pain and posture. This pose is easier for less flexible |
| lengthen interconnecting muscles. | | | | yoga practitioners. |