STRETCHY SPINES

How many times have you cried out “OH MY ACHING BACK?” In a yoga class, you may hear your foundation starts with your feet, and although that is true, your spine is your strength and balance. A painful back is a yellow light (caution) that your body mechanics need some attention. Tight muscles, namely the hamstrings are to blame. How did these muscles get tight??? The culprits are lack of stretching, bad posture, and lack of movement: which can be improved with some basic easy yoga poses.

STRETCH UP-LOOK UP

Look down at your feet and lift your toes rolling your foot around. This will help you find the four corners of your feet, and remind you to not put your weight on your toes OR curl them up gripping the floor. Engage your knees, tuck your pelvis a bit, and raise your arms over your head, clasping your hands and lifting up through your ribs and abs. Look up and stretch up feeling the stretch through your armpits, shoulders, and ribs. The act of clasping your hands aids you in straight arms and lifting rather than bent elbows and lack of engagement of the core.

STRETCH UP AND LEAN OVER

Once you have stretched up and had a good deep breath, lean over to your side, holding for 2-3 breaths, and on your inhale return to the center then exhale to other side, again holding for 2-3 breaths. Important to not lean your head forward putting a great strain on your back. You can look down at your foot on the side you are leaning over to and align your body to be in the same plane as your leg/foot.

STRETCH UP AND LEAN BACK

On an inhale return to the center exhale your breath out and lean back a bit. Allow yourself to take 2-3 breathes like this. Inhale will feel harder with the chest/heart open and that is where the stretch for deeper better breath comes from. Finally, return to the center and allow yourself to swan dive into a forward fold with bent knees and let your spine and head just hang forward for a few breaths.

These stretches are fast and easy and can be done while waiting for your coffee. It doesn’t take much to get the spine and its muscles limbered up for the day. Holding these stretches for 2-3 breaths gives your body time to relax the tightness of your back muscles from sleeping all night. Also, the exhale is where the magic of the stretch happens, so try to exhale out slowly. These stretches can also be done in a chair if you need a little break from sitting at a desk too long.

HAMSTRINGS AND SITTING

Our bodies were not designed to sit for hours, as well as the bad posture of head down and hanging out from shoulders. The posture of sitting shortens the hamstring, which in turn pulls from the knee and hip. This is why back pain may be the first symptom, but the pain in the knee and hips will follow if not addressed. We need to adopt the idea of stretching every hour, even if it is just a few deep cleansing breaths and a twist from side to side.

BEDTIME STRETCH

These 3 poses are an excellent way to prepare the back for a night of sleeping or just a much-needed stretch of the back and glutes anytime.

Flexion Stretch

Lying on your back, knees to chest, head to knee 3-5 breaths

Figure 4 or Piriformis Stretch

Lying on back, right foot on the floor, left knee bent, and left foot on the right knee. Pull right thigh towards you. Deep stretch through your glutes (butt) so let your exhale out slowly for the best stretch.

Spinal Twist

Lying on your back, pull both knees to your chest, and on an exhale allow your knees to drop to one side while you gaze to the opposite side. The best pose is to leave shoulders on the mat so the twist is from the waist down. After 3-5 breaths pull knees back to the chest on inhaling and allow to fall to other side on an exhale.