If you are experiencing pain and tension in the low back, some slow mindful movement on the mat may be just the thing to relieve it.
You may also find that your hips are tight as a result, so these 7 poses will work to stretch the low back and open the hips.
You will want to have 1 block for this practice.
1. Laying Spinal Twist - Start laying on your back. Draw your left knee in to the belly, keeping the right leg extended out. Take a few breaths here. Then cross the left knee over the body towards the right. Letting the right hand guide it across. Open the left arm out to the side, keeping the left shoulder down and collarbone facing up. Relax your hips, belly, and back. Hold for a moment. Return to the back. Repeat on the other side.
2. Bridge - Bend the knees and bring the soles of the feet to the mat. Place a block between the upper inner thighs. Roll the shoulders down and away from your ears. Relaxing the arms down at the sides, turning the palms up. Keep the feet close towards the sit bones. Squeeze into the block to engage the adductor muscles. Push into the feet and lift the hips up as high as they can go. Reach your tailbone towards the knees. Squeeze into the block to keep the knees from opening out to the sides. Also pushing into the big toes. Think about dragging your heels back towards the glutes.
3. Functional Bridge - Keep the block where it is. Walk the feet forward, until the legs are almost straight. Leaving only a few inches between the backs of the knees and the ground. Flex the feet, pressing into the heels. Bend the elbows, turning the palms to face one another and grounding down through the upper arms. Push in to the heels to lift the hips up off of the floor. This will only be about an inch or two. Think again about dragging the heels back. Lower down slowly and remove block. Take a big stretch here.
4. Seated Cat/Cow - Rock up to a seat, crossing the legs. Let the hands rest on the top of the knees. Inhale, opening the chest. Exhale, round and contract the spine. Emphasize the motion through the low back and belly.
5. Lunge Twist - Find downward dog, before stepping the right foot to the top of the mat. Lower the left knee down, and untuck the toes. Bring the right hand up to the thigh. Push the palm into the knee. Look back over the right shoulder. Eliminate rounding in the spine. Look to the floor, lower the hand, step back to down dog. Repeat on the other leg.
6. Forward Fold - Step up to the front of your mat. Take the feet as wide as the edges of your mat. Bend your knees generously. Catch hold of the big toes with the peace fingers. Inhale to lift and lengthen the spine. Exhale, to fold. Bending the elbows out to the sides. Dropping the crown towards the mat. Focus on the traction in your low back and decompressing your spine.
7. Yogi Squat - Turn the heels in and the toes out. Bend your knees and release the hips down. Doesn't matter if your heels are down. Bring the hands together at the heart. Use the elbows to squeeze the knees open wider. Reach the tailbone down and reach up through the crown of the head. Hold for several rounds of breath as you focus on finding length in the spine.
Want more of these 10 minute morning yoga practices? Want to commit to 30 days in a row? Join the Morning Movement Challenge here!
These 6 poses come from day 14 of the Morning Yoga Challenge. Practice with me in the video below.
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7 Poses for Low Back Tension Relief
Reviewed by Private Met
on
12:16:00 AM
Rating: 5
Reviewed by Private Met
on
12:16:00 AM
Rating:
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