Pain Stretches – Try Yoga!

Let’s talk about pain… who at one point or another in their life does not have some type of pain?

If you are active or athletic, chances are you have pain.  If you are a couch potato and sit all day, chances are you have pain.  If you have a desk job and you’re at the computer all day, yep, you probably have some sort of pain.

You see, we are not meant to be sitting around all day in a static position, but at this time of absolute technology, most of sit way way waaaaaayyyyy too much!

I know I am so guilty of that. I get to working, Amazon shopping, and then snooping around the internet and BAM! three hours goes by, and I get up, and “ouch!”  I can literally feel how locked up my entire “posterior chain” is.

Your posterior chain is that chain of muscles that controls all the movement behind you.

Your lower back, glutes, hamstrings, knees, calves, Achilles and feet.  They are all connected in one long posterior chain.

And in simple terms, if you sit a lot and don’t stretch it out, you are eventually going to be stiff and sore because the body needs to “move.”

Over the last couple of years, I had noticed that I would have a lot of hamstring pain, and lower leg pain.  I truly had forgotten about the importance of stretching because I was always in such a rush.

I also had forgotten about how great yoga was.  I used to do so much yoga when I was younger, and then in my 40s, I became like a lot of women I know,  a cardio junkie, just to keep the pounds off, and to keep my metabolism high (or so I thought).

I got away from what I knew I intuitively needed to help ease the aches and pains I was feeling… stretching.

Pain Stretches Yoga Sequence

This easy 10 minute yoga sequence to ease back pain is perfect.  It’s really easy to do, and most everyone can find 5 or 10 minutes to squeeze this in.

You will be amazed at the difference this will make in your feeling of flexibility and “looseness.”  What I also love about this sequence is that is shows you how to use a strap or a belt to help you really get into the poses.  Because a lot of people can’t reach their toes to get the full stretch, and hence they would have to bend their knee which would negate the positive benefits of this stretch.

The strap really helps you get fully into the pose, and over time you will see that you can “choke up” more and more on the strap.  You don’t have to go out and buy a yoga strap or anything fancy, a belt or even a towel will do for these poses.

Releasing the Hamstrings Helps Relieve the Lower Back

One thing that you may not know is that you need to release the tightness in your hamstrings to help to release the lower back.  Our hamstrings get very tight from sitting all the time.  It’s not natural for us to sit for hours and hours at computers, cars, couches, etc.

The hamstrings need to be elongated and stretched.  Otherwise, they stay super contracted and this in turn the tightness in your hamstrings puts pressure on your lower lumbar muscles.

The Supta Padangusthasana pose series, A, B and C are three of my very favorite yoga moves for the lower back.  With these positions you can actually very quickly feel a release into your lower back.

The reason is because it helps to release the hamstring and in doing so, this posterior chain move helps with the lower back pain.

So if you’re having lower back pain, please give these yoga pain stretches a try.  I know you will find relief and be amazed at how you will understand the connection of your leg flexibility and your lower back pain relief!

To your health!
Laura.