We all experience back pain at some point in our lives and there are many lifestyle factors that can contribute to back discomfort. It's important to keep our spine healthy and become aware of our daily movements contributing to our back ache. We see so many guests coming to our retreats with common back issues and there are a few poses we like to share for guests to start practicing daily. These poses can allow you to bring more awareness into the spine and keep the spine mobile, whilst also releasing any back discomfort.
1. Childs Pose
Bring hips to rest on the heels, toes together. Exhale, walk the hands in front of you and lower forehead to the mat, relaxing the hips, spine and shoulders. To go deeper into the hips, take the knees as wide as your mat. Try and find length in the spine. Take 5 deep breaths.
2. Cat/Cow
Come to all fours, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips. Inhale, take the gaze up and chest forward through the arms belly drawing down, remember to keep the belly engaged to avoid dropping into the lower vertebrae. Exhale, round through the spine, doming up through the shoulder blades pushing the mat away from you. Repeat for 5 rounds.
3. Downdog
From all fours, tuck the toes, plant the hands, press into the whole palm and lift the hips up and back towards the sky. Keep the knees soft if your hamstrings are tight. Think about finding a long spine as you allow the chest to draw to the shins. Hold for 5 breaths.
4. Seated Twist
Come to sit with legs extended out in front of you, feet flexed. Take the right sole of the foot onto the mat, knee up to the sky next to the left leg. Inhale, sweep left arm up and feel a lengthening through the spine. Exhale, wrap left arm around the right thigh, placing right arm on the mat behind the back. With the inhale, think length through the spine, with the exhale twist a little deeper. Hold for 5 breaths then move to the other side.
