I am a yoga teacher and I have back pain. It is hard for me to admit it, but the truth is people from all sorts of athletic backgrounds can suffer from back pain. My particular injury came from falling down the stairs, but back pain can come seemingly out of nowhere. It can also stem from overuse or bad form.
Some sufferers of back pain can handle twists. Some people feel back pain during extension (leaning backwards), while others feel it during flexion (forward folding). Others feel it no matter which way they bend.
“All the experts seem to agree on one thing: the best prevention for back pain is to keep your back strong and flexible.”
But all the experts seem to agree on one thing: the best prevention for back pain is to keep your back strong and flexible. I know this for certain too, and in this short video I give you three exercises that I have been doing nearly every day to help me gain back strength and mitigate the pain at the same time.
Three Exercises to Keep Your Back Strong
You will need: A yoga block
- Pelvic Tilt/Back Traction: Requires a block between the thighs. Use inner thigh and glute strength helps support the back. This ensures that the surrounding muscles of the back are also strong so that the back doesn’t carry the full load. In addition, working the pelvic tilt slowly helps to lengthen the back body, giving some relief to the tightened muscles.
- Back extension: Strengthens the legs and back. It also increases flexibility in the back body.
- Cobra: Slowly works on strengthening the low back and opening up the thoracic spine (upper back). Make sure to keep a neutral gaze so that you don’t strain the cervical vertebrae.
If you do the exercises in this video consistently and regularly for a few months, you will start to feel the relief and strength coming back.
More on back strength:
- Get to the Source of Your Back Pain By Stretching Your Hamstrings
- 5 Steps to Safely Train Around Back Pain
- The Best Back Workouts
