Yoga For A Healthier Spine
Yoga is designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and ligaments and promote blood flow to the extremities. In any pose, meet yourself at the comfort level you are at today. If a pose ever causes pain, please back out. Do what you can and breathe deep breathes in and out to ease into the pose.
Try this 15 minute series to stretch and strengthen your back. Flow from one pose to the other starting with #1. You will need a mat, a comfortable space on the floor that you can sit and lay down comfortably, and comfortable clothes you can move in.
Stay in each pose for about a minute or 10 breaths.
1. Child’s Pose
From your knees, take your knees as wide as is comfortable, bring big toes together (or as close as you can), stretch your arms out in front of you and lower your forehead all the way down to the floor, a mat, a pillow or block. If your knees need more support, fold a blanket or towel and place underneath your knees. Take 10 breaths.
2. Twisted Child’s Pose
Lift your forehead up and slide your right arm underneath your left arm, palm face up and then lower your head back down. You may turn your head and rest on your right cheek/temple. Take 10 breaths and then repeat on the left side.
3. Table Top Pose
From child’s pose, rise up to all fours, stacking joints, wrist under shoulders, knees under hips.
4. Cow/Cat Poses
From table top pose, for cow pose, drop your belly, arch your back and lift your heart and chin as you inhale. For cat pose, draw the belly in and up, round into your back, tuck your chin to your chest and let your head go heavy as you exhale. Continue to rotate cow/cat, inhaling with cow and exhaling with cat 6 rounds.
5. Downward Facing Dog
From cow/cat, spread your fingers wide and take them shoulder width apart, press through your palms, curl your toes under and lift your hips to the sky. Draw your belly in to support your low back, draw shoulders onto your back as you press away with your palms, heels press down towards the earth. Feel the extension in your spine, stretch in your shoulders, calves and hamstrings. Alternate your knees left to right a few times then find stillness and draw a deep breath in and open your mouth and exhale out.
6. Rag Doll
From downward facing down, walk your feet to your hands, keep your feet hip width apart, draw your belly in and forward fold, hands reaching to the floor, head heavy, knees have a soft bend to them. Hang heavy, sway gentle side to side, front to back and turn your head left to right. Come back to center and stillness, bend knees a lot and place hands on ground, bend your knees and gently come to a seat with your legs long in front of you.
7. Pike Pose
On your seat, legs long in front of you, draw your belly in, flex your feet, take a deep breath in and raise you arms over your head then fold over your legs, take 10 breaths into your rounded back. Slowly roll back up to a seat, bend your knees, keep feet on the floor, belly drawn in, reach arms forward and lower all the way down to your back.
8. Bridge Pose
Head, shoulders, and back resting on the mat, knees bent, arms by your side palms facing down, scoot your heels in close your body. Then press through your feet and hands, lift your hips, draw inner thighs inward and squeeze your glutes. Take 10 breaths and lower your hips down.
9. Reclining Pigeon
Once you have lowered all the way down from bridge pose, cross your right ankle over your left knees. Flex your right foot to protect your knee and take your right hand to your right knee and press it out. If you want more of stretch into your hip, interlace fingers around your left thigh and draw it into your chest, take 10 breaths. Repeat on the other side.
10. Supine Twist
Draw both knees into your chest, take a deep breath in and out, squeezing knees in. Release left leg long onto the floor and interlace fingers around your right knee, draw it up towards your right should gently, take two breaths, then draw your right knee across your body, keeping shoulders on the floor, extend your right arm to the right and turn your head to the right, 10 breaths into your right rib cage. Repeat on the left side.
11. Savasana
Once you have twisted both sides, let your legs be long laying on your back arms by your side and close your eyes. Take 10 breaths letting your body take in all the aligning and stretching you just did. Slowly open eyes, wiggle toes, wiggle fingers, gently turn your head side to side and roll onto to your side and gently make your way to a seat. Bring hands to heart center and thank yourself for taking the time for you! Namaste!
Brought to you by Tracy Strash
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