Yoga for Back Pain
I suffered with back pain for years - until I started a consistent Ashtanga yoga practice. I believe this remarkable healing is due to the fact that this type of yoga is traditionally practiced daily and strengthens the abdominal muscles - particularly the obliques. The abdominal muscles are comprised of the rectus abdominis (forms the six pack), the internal and external obliques, and the transversus abdominus. In addition, my hamstrings were especially tight from running.
The series of asanas done in the Ashtanga primary series are intelligently designed in a way where each pose builds on the previous poses. Also, in practicing the same poses daily, and eventually memorizing the sequence, it is easier to sharply focus your attention on your alignment, breathing, and overall experience. Eventually the poses just flow out of habit, so that the mind can direct attention in a way that is literally a moving meditation.
The most important muscles to focus on when strengthening the spine are the obliques and the transverse abdominus. Most workouts seem to focus on the rectus abdominis, however these muscles do little to support or stabilize the spine. In fact, they can pull down on the ribs and actually cause tension in the upper back.
The external obliques control the movement of the ribs opposite to the pelvis and determines how much the lumbar spine will twist. The internal obliques help firm the lower belly and provide support and stability to the sacrum. The transversus abdominus is the deepest muscle, and wraps around the waist, providing overall spine support.
The external obliques prevent the pelvis from tilting forward, therefore, the best way to work them is through leg movements that challenge their ability to control the pelvic tilt. For example, if you lie on your back with your legs perpendicular to the floor, contract the abdominals to ground the pelvis and then begin to lower your legs (while keeping them straight), your abdominals will have to work very hard to prevent the pelvis from tipping forward.
A similar challenge is involved in ardha navasana (half boat pose). But because so many of us are weak in the obliques—even when our other abdominal muscles are strong—it’s best to approach these exercises progressively. If you do too much too soon, the hip flexors, which tend to be stronger and tighter than the relatively underused abdominals, may pull on the lumbar spine and pelvis, increase the arch in your lower back, and thus exert a shearing force on the spine.
Working Towards Ardha Navasana: Start by lying on your back, with your knees bent and both feet on the floor, hip distance apart. Your thighs should be at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Press your lower back into the floor by firming your lower belly below the navel. Place your fingers on your lower abdomen to make sure that your abdominal muscles (and not the muscles at the front of your hips) are doing the work.
Attaining this balance in your practice is quite simple. Ardha navasana (half boat pose) works the obliques directly while countering the pull of the hip flexors. Paripurna navasana (full boat pose) does the opposite: it strengthens the paraspinal muscles of the lower back as well as the hip flexors, particularly the quadriceps and psoas, while the abdominals work only moderately.
Paripurna navasana is often thought to be an abdominal pose, but only because it is so often done with the spine misaligned. If your lower back is weak, you will roll back toward your tailbone, your abdominals will grip to hold you up, and your thighs and hips may grip and cramp as well. But when you execute the pose correctly, your back is straight, or even slightly arched. Your lower back muscles work strongly, while the hip flexors can release some of their gripping action in the hips.
To start, sit with both knees bent and your feet on the floor. Hold your thighs with your hands so that your fingertips are behind the knees. Lean back to straighten your spine, bringing a small arch into your lower back.
Keep your head slightly forward. As you rock back on the back edges of your sit bones—but not so far that you come onto your tailbone—your feet will rise a few inches off the ground. Keep your spine straight and steady. Lift your feet until your shins are parallel to the floor. Pull with your hands against your thighs to keep your spine straight and your hip joints relatively relaxed. Use your hands to spiral your thighs inward so that they remain parallel, with the inner edges of your thighs firm: the support of these adductors will help your lower back.
If your lower back feels strong (i.e., you’re not rocking back onto your tailbone), your chest is lifted and open, and your shoulders are back, then press your thighs into your hands and start to straighten your legs using the strength of your quadriceps.
Don’t allow your knees to turn out; by spiraling your thighs inward, you will maintain the strength of your lower back.
To complete the pose, extend your arms forward, parallel to both each other and to the floor. Draw your shoulders straight back again to keep your chest open and lifted.
The main work should be in your lower back and thighs, with some toning throughout the abdominals. In the full pose, your hip flexors (at your hip creases) will be working as well, but if they begin to grip and cramp, it’s because your lower back and quadriceps are weakening and your pelvis is tipping back. In that case, hold your thighs with your hands to keep your lower back strong.
Psoas Release: Abdominal exercises inevitably involve some tightening of the psoas, so if you fail to release the psoas after this work, you may end up with a stiff, sore lower back. Do a mild variation of pigeon pose to release the psoas and other hip flexors. Start with one knee bent and the sole of the foot near the opposite groin. Extend the entire length of the other leg behind you straight on the floor. Reach back through the toes of the back leg, gently pressing the top of your foot into the floor to activate the thigh. Now lift up through your lower belly to get a stretch and release deep inside the pelvis, where the psoas lies. Repeat the pose on the other side.
Using Your Abdominals in Twisting PosesAbdominal support is especially important in twisting poses where it stabilizes the otherwise vulnerable lumbar spine. To come into a simple seated twist, initiate the twist from the external obliques on your left side. Simultaneously, activate the internal obliques on your right side. This will keep your lower belly firm and lifting. Keep a neutral arch in your lower back, not tipping your pelvis back; and keep the left sit bone grounded. As you maintain an inward arch of your lower back, turn your hips slightly in the direction opposite to the twist to keep your foundation stable.
Toning the lower abdominals in your yoga practice will protect your lower back in your daily life as well. Good luck!
The series of asanas done in the Ashtanga primary series are intelligently designed in a way where each pose builds on the previous poses. Also, in practicing the same poses daily, and eventually memorizing the sequence, it is easier to sharply focus your attention on your alignment, breathing, and overall experience. Eventually the poses just flow out of habit, so that the mind can direct attention in a way that is literally a moving meditation.
The most important muscles to focus on when strengthening the spine are the obliques and the transverse abdominus. Most workouts seem to focus on the rectus abdominis, however these muscles do little to support or stabilize the spine. In fact, they can pull down on the ribs and actually cause tension in the upper back.
The external obliques control the movement of the ribs opposite to the pelvis and determines how much the lumbar spine will twist. The internal obliques help firm the lower belly and provide support and stability to the sacrum. The transversus abdominus is the deepest muscle, and wraps around the waist, providing overall spine support.
The external obliques prevent the pelvis from tilting forward, therefore, the best way to work them is through leg movements that challenge their ability to control the pelvic tilt. For example, if you lie on your back with your legs perpendicular to the floor, contract the abdominals to ground the pelvis and then begin to lower your legs (while keeping them straight), your abdominals will have to work very hard to prevent the pelvis from tipping forward.
A similar challenge is involved in ardha navasana (half boat pose). But because so many of us are weak in the obliques—even when our other abdominal muscles are strong—it’s best to approach these exercises progressively. If you do too much too soon, the hip flexors, which tend to be stronger and tighter than the relatively underused abdominals, may pull on the lumbar spine and pelvis, increase the arch in your lower back, and thus exert a shearing force on the spine.
Working Towards Ardha Navasana: Start by lying on your back, with your knees bent and both feet on the floor, hip distance apart. Your thighs should be at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Press your lower back into the floor by firming your lower belly below the navel. Place your fingers on your lower abdomen to make sure that your abdominal muscles (and not the muscles at the front of your hips) are doing the work.
Attaining this balance in your practice is quite simple. Ardha navasana (half boat pose) works the obliques directly while countering the pull of the hip flexors. Paripurna navasana (full boat pose) does the opposite: it strengthens the paraspinal muscles of the lower back as well as the hip flexors, particularly the quadriceps and psoas, while the abdominals work only moderately.
Paripurna navasana is often thought to be an abdominal pose, but only because it is so often done with the spine misaligned. If your lower back is weak, you will roll back toward your tailbone, your abdominals will grip to hold you up, and your thighs and hips may grip and cramp as well. But when you execute the pose correctly, your back is straight, or even slightly arched. Your lower back muscles work strongly, while the hip flexors can release some of their gripping action in the hips.
To start, sit with both knees bent and your feet on the floor. Hold your thighs with your hands so that your fingertips are behind the knees. Lean back to straighten your spine, bringing a small arch into your lower back.
Keep your head slightly forward. As you rock back on the back edges of your sit bones—but not so far that you come onto your tailbone—your feet will rise a few inches off the ground. Keep your spine straight and steady. Lift your feet until your shins are parallel to the floor. Pull with your hands against your thighs to keep your spine straight and your hip joints relatively relaxed. Use your hands to spiral your thighs inward so that they remain parallel, with the inner edges of your thighs firm: the support of these adductors will help your lower back.
If your lower back feels strong (i.e., you’re not rocking back onto your tailbone), your chest is lifted and open, and your shoulders are back, then press your thighs into your hands and start to straighten your legs using the strength of your quadriceps.
Don’t allow your knees to turn out; by spiraling your thighs inward, you will maintain the strength of your lower back.
To complete the pose, extend your arms forward, parallel to both each other and to the floor. Draw your shoulders straight back again to keep your chest open and lifted.
The main work should be in your lower back and thighs, with some toning throughout the abdominals. In the full pose, your hip flexors (at your hip creases) will be working as well, but if they begin to grip and cramp, it’s because your lower back and quadriceps are weakening and your pelvis is tipping back. In that case, hold your thighs with your hands to keep your lower back strong.
Psoas Release: Abdominal exercises inevitably involve some tightening of the psoas, so if you fail to release the psoas after this work, you may end up with a stiff, sore lower back. Do a mild variation of pigeon pose to release the psoas and other hip flexors. Start with one knee bent and the sole of the foot near the opposite groin. Extend the entire length of the other leg behind you straight on the floor. Reach back through the toes of the back leg, gently pressing the top of your foot into the floor to activate the thigh. Now lift up through your lower belly to get a stretch and release deep inside the pelvis, where the psoas lies. Repeat the pose on the other side.
Using Your Abdominals in Twisting PosesAbdominal support is especially important in twisting poses where it stabilizes the otherwise vulnerable lumbar spine. To come into a simple seated twist, initiate the twist from the external obliques on your left side. Simultaneously, activate the internal obliques on your right side. This will keep your lower belly firm and lifting. Keep a neutral arch in your lower back, not tipping your pelvis back; and keep the left sit bone grounded. As you maintain an inward arch of your lower back, turn your hips slightly in the direction opposite to the twist to keep your foundation stable.
Toning the lower abdominals in your yoga practice will protect your lower back in your daily life as well. Good luck!