4 Easy ways to keep your lower back free of pain with Yoga

Unfortunately lower back pain is a widespread ailment affecting millions of people. There are multiple factors that contribute to create lower back pain. Yoga offers us an integrated approach to help decrease, dissolve and prevent low back pain.

1: Reduce Pain

Restrictions in the natural mobility of the hip joints can result in lower back pain due to the lower back (and often the knees) moving beyond their range of healthy movement to compensating for the lack of mobility in the hips.

The sequence below has been very helpful to reduce chronic tension and pain for a large number of people (12 minutes):

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNs2i-ULt-4&w=420&rel=0]

2: Restore Balance

In addition to, and often in combination with, restricted mobility at the hips, many of us tend to favor one side. Over time, this can create an imbalance between the sides, where one side may be stronger/weaker, looser/tighter, etc.

The two videos below offer a short and a longer practice to try to uncover and address imbalances between the two sides:

Shorter video to restore hip and thigh balance (10 minutes):

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nlh4YMpDglU&w=420&rel=0]

Longer video to restore hip and thigh balance (17 minutes)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5baVvSyTqA&w=420&rel=0]

3: Maintaining Healthy Posture

Our regular posture can result also in restrictions in the lower back. Since we “practice” our sitting and standing postures daily over long periods of time. It is a good idea to ensure that we sit and stand in a way that is healthy and comfortable.

Use the Healthy Sitting Posture video below to help you find a sitting posture that support your back health (6 minutes) :

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC0rAfIIe5E&w=420&rel=0]

I would also suggest that you try the Basic Standing Posture video (7 minutes)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac56wP0lQlU&w=420&rel=0]

4: Relax

It is incredible how much stress we carry with us everywhere. With more and more demands on our time, it is not surprising that many of us do not take time to relax. I often suggest to people in my classes to make sure that they take a break every day, for at least a couple of minutes.

The video below can help you relax the back. Although the video is only 2 minutes long, I would recommend taking longer if you can afford to do it. Your body and mind will thank you:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O51vSL2r6ns&w=420&rel=0]

I hope that you find these suggestions useful. Of course, you will only see the benefits if you try them. And if you do, please let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be glad to help if I can.

A few other suggestions that you may want to consider:

• Reduce extra body weight.
• Move. The human body does not do well staying in the same position for many hours. Changing your position, getting up, walking, stretching can help.
• Stay hydrated. Sip good quality water throughout the day.
• Relax. Take time to let go of tension and stress. Many people experience back pain as a result of stress.

As always, I hope that your yoga practice helps you live a vibrant, joyful and meaningful life.

Namaste.