Back Pain and Yoga

Millions of Americans are finding that the connection between back pain and yoga is one that helps reduce their pain and allow them to live their life as pain free as possible. If you  can’t seem to get rid of pain in your back, there is a natural alternative, which might be worth a shot. There are many benefits of yoga for the human body.  It can help to alleviate stress, headaches, sore muscles, and even back pain.

Yoga Helps to Strengthen Muscles

While it may seem like a very relaxing form of exercise more suited to meditation and relaxation, yoga actually has the ability to strengthen muscles.  The best thing about yoga for muscle strength is that every single yoga position focuses on different muscles and muscle groups.

The way to use it to strengthen your back is to use poses that focus on the upper, middle, or lower back, depending on your back pain, and holding these positions.  Performing the positions and incorporating slight adjustments to suit your muscle pain is an effective way to stave off future pains.

You should also focus on exercises geared towards your abdominal muscles, since these will help to maintain proper posture and straightening of your spine, relieving pain and tightness in your back.

Lower Back Pain and Stretches

If you suffer from problems in your lower back in particular, the most important thing to focus on is proper stretching and breathing exercises.  These will help your muscles to relax and can reduce the amount of tension in the muscles of your lower back, offering instant relief.

In addition to the relaxation of muscles in the lower back, the stretching exercises will help the blood flow of your body to increase and this will help muscles to release the toxins.  This will also ensure that your muscles have enough blood, oxygen, and nutrients to regenerate.

Breathing

One of the most important aspects of yoga is the breathing.  Every yoga pose requires breathing, and different techniques will provide different benefits.  When holding positions, you need to develop a deep rhythmic nasal breathing pattern, rather than following your instincts and holding your breath.  The increased oxygen flow will help to relax muscles in your back and relieve pain in your back.

Other benefits of yoga can be found in the below infographic offered by Huffington Post.