Last week at our drop-in classes we explored a sequence of asanas to help find freedom in the lower back. Tight, uncomfortable and painful lower backs are very common these days due to most modern day people spending so much time sitting down and also because of habitual poor posture. This sequence is designed to help you de-compress the spine and find length and space for the lower back, it also focusses on stretching the hamstrings which play a vital role in keeping the lower back happy, a lot of the time problems in the back are caused by tight muscles in the legs. If you have lower back disc issues check these stretches with your health care practitioner as some forward folding poses are contraindicated with lower spine issues. I hope you enjoy this sequence, Namaste Childs Pose (Balasana)Start in a kneeling position and bring the knees to the width of the mat, begin to slide the arms forward and bring your forehead down to your mat or rest it on a block. Focus on lengthening the whole of the spine and drawing the tailbone down towards the heels. Cat/Cow stretchesAlternate between these two stretches for about 5-6 rounds. Inhaling as you take cow stretch and exhaling as you take cat arch. Try to keep soft elbows as you move so you dont hyper extend the elbows or lock out the joint. To protect the wrist joints, spread the fingers wide and press down in to all the fingertips and the knuckles of the hand and try to create a lift for the heal of the hand. If you have sensitive knees, use a folded up blanket underneath the knees. Downward facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)Much like childs pose Downward dog creates a lot of healthy space for the spine and really stretches the muscles of the lower back. If your hamstrings are really tight you might want to bend your knees a lot and focus more on finding length for the spine. Again be careful not to lock out the elbows and dont press the backs of the knees out. Press down in to all finger tips and knuckles of the hands to protect the wrists. Hold downward dog for about 5 breaths, pedalling out the legs. Standing forward fold (Uttanasana)Bring the feet hip width apart and hinge from the hips, folding the torso over the legs. Try not to hunch the shoulders up to the ears and again be mindful no to hyper extend the legs. If the floor feels a long way off, grab two yoga blocks and rest your hands on to them to forward fold, you can also back off the stretch by not folding in as far, particularly if you find its uncomfortable for the diaphragm or that boobs are getting in the way...it happens :) Wide legged forward fold (Prasarita Padottanasana)Stand with the legs as wide as you can, turn the toes inwards so they are narrower then the hills. Bring the hands to the hips and hinge from the waist bringing the crown of the head down towards the floor. Try not to allow the shoulders to bunch up to the ears and see if you bring the weight of the pose in to the centre of the heels. If the floor feels too far away, place blocks under the hands and bend the knees if your hamstrings are too tight. Seated forward bend (Paschimottanasana)Sit with the legs out in front and begin to flex your toes back towards you. Find a nice long spine by drawing the tailbone down and lifting up through the crown of the head. Begin to hinge forward from the waist but maintain the length through the spine. You can take hold of lower legs or the feet and look down at your knees to keep the neck long. If you find you're falling backward and cant hinge forward, sit up on a block, you can also use a strap around your feet if your legs feel too tight. Head to knee forward bend (Janu-Sirsasana)Extend one leg out in front and draw the sole of the other foot in to the inner thigh of the leg thats extended. Hinge from the waist and fold over the leg, bringing the head down towards the knee. Again you can use a strap and sit up on a block if needed. Try to keep the spine long and not to hunch the upper back. Repeat on the other side.
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Urban PriestessWelcome to my Urban Priestess blog, here I share my tips and tricks for seasonal and lunar living. Archives
December 2019
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