How does Yoga help you Strengthen Your Back

Your back bears the burden of stress, unhealthy postures, excessive walking, sitting, standing, and much more. The spine is also one of the most important parts of the body. Neglecting it only leads to a whirlwind of conditions with age. In fact, it is said that up to 80% of Americans will have some form of back pain in their lifetime. So, caring for your back is not only recommended but almost an essential part of well-being.?

Many of us spend most of the day hunched over the laptop in uncomfortable chairs. By the end of the day, we’re normally so exhausted we don’t bother to stretch or twist to remove knots or counter the posture our spine has taken all day. So, how do we correct this??

Yoga for the back

Your spine supports numerous muscle groups throughout the body. It’s role is critical in keeping up the strength and stability of muscles, nerves and even connective tissues like ligaments. Being a holistic practice, yoga works towards releasing stress, healing the mind and body, strengthening organs, systems, muscles and tissues, as well as improving aspects like your posture. Yoga will also improve your awareness, which helps you observe tension, imbalances and irregularities. The sooner you notice such things, the sooner you can correct them and bring your mind into balance. A regular yoga practice, especially with a teacher, consists of various practices that work on these individual aspects.?

Many postures stretch, stimulate and strengthen the nerve endings in the spine. This improves your mind-body connection and balances your nervous system. It also relaxes the nervous system, which ultimately relaxes the mind. Along with this, deep stretches strengthen the muscles of the spine. Since the spine also supports many muscle groups, the stronger your spine, the stronger the surrounding muscles.?

Yoga postures to strengthen your back

Cat-cow pose

Often a warm-up pose to release stiffness from the back, this posture engages the entire spine. It brings awareness all the way from the tailbone up to the neck. The movement targets every part of the spine with flexion (rounding) and extension (arching) of the spine. It works on several muscles such as erector spinae, rectus abdominis, triceps, and gluteus maximus.?

Half lord of the fishes pose

A strong seated spinal twist, this posture fully extends, stretches and twists the back. This not only stretches the spine but strengthens all the muscles, nerves and tissues. It is also effective in releasing stiffness and pain that tends to occur after a long day of sitting or standing.

Downward facing dog

A rejuvenating posture that stretches and lengthens the spine. It helps relieve back pain and sciatic pain too. It works on the hamstrings, gluteus maximus, triceps and quadriceps, making it effective in strengthening the entire back, shoulders and arms.

Cobra pose

A gentle, beginner-level backbend, this posture strengthens the spine and helps relieve pain, even from sciatica. It also releases stress and fatigue that may be causing a strain on the lower back. The asana helps correct posture. Apart from this, it is effective in stretching the abdomen, chest and shoulders. This posture also works on key muscles such as hamstrings, gluteus maximus, deltoids and triceps.

Bridge pose

The bridge pose is a beginner-level posture that is often practiced towards the end of a class. This is because it is also relaxing. It stretches and strengthens the spine all the way from the lower back to the neck. It soothes the nervous system due to its effect on the spinal nerves. It also helps correct posture.?

Wheel pose

The wheel pose is a strong backbend and is one of the best postures to strengthen the back. It corrects one’s posture, reducing the rounding of shoulders by opening them up and is effective in relieving stress and strain from the back. It’s wonderful for improving strength and flexibility. It might be challenging to achieve at first, but feels amazing once achieved.

Seated forward bend

The seated forward bend stretches the back, soothes the nerves and balances the nervous system. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system and stimulates the vagus nerve. This releases stress, fatigue, anxiety and imbalances of the mind. It improves flexibility of lower back and hamstrings.

Other practices to take care of your back

Improving mindfulness

Improving mindfulness will help you stay aware of your posture, tension and any pain your back is bearing. Conscious breathing, a stable mind, meditation and relaxation will help you effectively improve mindfulness over time. Even regular practice of yoga asanas with attention to specific body parts (for example, focusing on the lower back in cobra pose) will help improve mindfulness gradually.?

Releasing stress

Stress is often the root cause of all conditions and problems. Releasing stress through asanas, breathing techniques like alternate nostril breathing and humming bee breath, meditation and relaxation is also effective. This prevents strain and tension from accumulating in the lower and upper back.

Don’t worry about how to start the practices. Join a live class with an experienced teacher to practice in an injury-free way. Over time, the holistic benefits of yoga will become visible to you and you will notice the health and strength of your back improving.