You depend on the strength and flexibility of your spine for nearly everything you do, from walking and sitting to sleeping well and working. With our lives being a chaotic challenge, almost everyone in the modern age complains of back issues, especially as they age. This is because we’re constantly sitting in chairs, sitting in cars, and not moving around nearly as much as we’re designed to.
In order to move through the wide range of motion you task your spine with on a regular basis, you need it to be both strong and flexible. To build back strength, your muscles have to contract with more force than they’re used to in daily activities. In yoga, this means practicing or staying in poses that require the muscles to contract strongly, like backbends and twists.
Building Back Strength with Yoga
Yoga aims to promote the correct curvature of the spine, and this requires a play between both strength and flexibility. Asanas like twists have the potential to help decompress the discs and elongate the spine, opening the spaces between the vertebrae, activating the muscles around the discs, and increasing blood flow to the spinal area to deliver pain-fighting, healing, anti-inflammatory oxygen. But the benefits of yoga go beyond muscles. The slow movements and the continuous focus on proper breathing can improve the emotional aspect of back pain by helping to lower stress and alleviate anxiety and depression.
4 Benefits of Yoga for Back Pain
Relaxes & Stretches Muscles
Each yoga pose should be held for 10-60 seconds and incorporates relaxation and stretching of muscles, which helps to relieve muscular tension. This combination of movement and breath encourages muscle relaxation and increased flexibility of the joints and muscles of the back.
Must-Read: Yoga Asanas For A Full Body Stretch And Its Benefits
Strengthens Muscles
Yoga helps increase strength in very specific muscles and muscle groups. Many of the postures in yoga gently strengthen the muscles in the back, as well as the abdominal muscles. The back and abdominal muscles are essential components of the muscular network of the spine so keeping them well conditioned alleviates pain greatly.
Posture Balance & Body Alignment
The yoga poses are meant to train the body to be healthy and supple. Consistent practice and application will result in improved posture, and an increased sense of balance, with the head, shoulders, and pelvis in proper alignment. Additionally, unlike many other forms of exercise, yoga helps stretch and strengthens both sides of the body equally.
Improves Mental Health
Yoga helps to focus your energy on breathing and maintaining a neutral posture during each pose. Additionally, the regular practice of yoga puts your mind into a relaxed state, allowing you to meditate during the exercise. These effects help to decrease stress and anxiety and enhance your mood. A relaxed state of being and enhanced mood can help combat the negative psychological effects that chronic back pain can inflict.
If you’re a back-pain sufferer and you’re looking for relief, one solution to try should be yoga. Research has proven that it can help decrease pain, improve function, and enhance the quality of life; additionally, it also reduces stress and anxiety and improves overall mood. Thus, it serves as the perfect treatment option for those looking for a non-invasive pain management technique.
To learn the asanas that can help you build a strong back, download the ThinkRight.me app.
Read More: Quick & Easy Meditations For Beginners
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