A sedentary lifestyle, overweight, abuse of sedentary work or weight transfer often negatively affect our neck or back. At the same time, the pain that periodically occurs in the region of the lower back and neck makes us look for the most comfortable postures that further aggravate the situation. Spine yoga therapy helps to solve the problem. What effect does it have? How is it done? And is it able to relieve pain symptoms?
Why yoga?
Spine and cervical yoga therapy has been known for quite some time. The history of its origin goes back to ancient times. Yoga has long been an excellent tool in the struggle for healthy joints, the spine and the entire musculoskeletal system.
And the thing is that yoga helps harmonize the body, emotions and energy balance. And only having achieved this harmony, you can get rid of not only the deposition of salts, but also other diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
What can be achieved by regular yoga classes?
If you believe the ancient yogic legends, then with regular classes you can reveal and improve your physical abilities. For example, some people who practice yoga have managed to increase their height by several centimeters. And this is because during the training they used a lot of exercises aimed at stretching the spine.
Many due to yoga made significant progress in restoring posture, got rid of distortions in one direction or another, lost frequent headaches, normalized respiratory and nervous systems. It was yoga therapy that helped them achieve all of this. A healthy spine and restoration of joint mobility - is it not a motivation to start practicing therapeutic exercises at home?
Aspects of physiology change during therapy
Based on a scientific point of view, spine yoga therapy is a rather complex biomechanical process. In the process of daily classes, a person practicing yoga, not only develops the flexibility of the whole body, but also strengthens the muscle corset, thereby changing their physical health for the better. Its spine strengthens and straightens, and, consequently, a chain reaction is launched, aimed at the general improvement of the whole organism. So, there is a strengthening of metabolic processes and the endocrine system.
Moreover, yoga therapy improves blood circulation. This means that there is an improvement in the supply of oxygen to your organs and tissues. It is also believed that many asanas, which includes spinal yoga therapy, are aimed at improving mental activity.
What diseases and problems does yoga therapy relieve?
With the right approach, professional yoga therapy helps to get rid of the following health problems:
- Scoliosis.
- Salt deposits.
- Troubles with joints.
- Typhosis.
- Osteochondrosis of the thoracic, cervical and lumbar regions.
- Violations of posture of varying severity.
- Diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.
- Vegetative dystonia.
- Tachycardia.
- Varicose veins, as well as many diseases of internal organs.
All these problems can be solved by professionally selected spine yoga therapy. Exercises designed to deal with all these troubles in the same way as the therapy itself are selected individually.
Appeal to yoga instructors or self-treatment at home: which is better?
Despite all the benefits of yoga, the implementation of a certain set of exercises aimed at eliminating pain symptoms and providing a restorative effect, it is necessary to do under the personal guidance of instructors or yoga therapists.
The thing is that each case and type of illness or problem is purely individual. And this means that general videos with brief instruction are not suitable for everyone who is interested in yoga therapy in one way or another. Healthy spine - This is a great incentive to strive for the best. However, this effect cannot be achieved without prior consultation with doctors and professional yoga therapists. They will choose the set of exercises suitable for your particular case.
Yoga instructor Tatyana Dudina: treatment principle and reviews
One of the instructors-bloggers who give their advice and recommendations on video is considered Tatyana Dudina. "Yoga therapy, a healthy spine with Tatyana Dudina!" - That’s the name of the program run by this instructor and therapist. This sweet and disposable young woman has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, and for the last 4 years she has been engaged in professional therapy and helps people.
Tatyana’s arsenal includes several free introductory courses in which she talks about the benefits of various yoga exercises. And, of course, she focuses on paid videos, many of which are designed to relieve back pain, treat osteochondrosis and other diseases. Instructor Dudina offers them to everyone who wants to. “Yoga therapy: a healthy spine” is one of these video tutorials. The instructor also has other videos, for example, “A quick way to get rid of back pain,” “Yoga therapy for back pain for the elderly,” “Yoga therapy for back pain without a load on the knees,” and many others.
Among the many user reviews you can find not only custom-made, but also real ones. For example, some of them claim that according to the video they managed to partially remove pain symptoms in the neck and lumbar region. Many highlight an interesting presentation of the material and the simplicity of the exercises.
Instructor Artyom Frolov: “Spine yoga. Traction Techniques
Another instructor who, unlike the previous one, does not offer to buy his own video courses, but shares his advice completely free of charge, is Artem Frolov.
In his blog, he pays great attention to such a concept as “traction”. It refers to the effect on an injured or diseased organ with the help of counteraction force. As these forces special loads and the weight of the person himself can be used.
Under the influence of all these forces, according to the author, the spine is stretched and extended. At the same time, all the exercises that the instructor suggests doing are perfect for homework and do not require special equipment for this. That’s how it works, according to the author, spine yoga therapy. Frolov describes in detail several options for asanas aimed at relieving pain in the back, lower back and neck. Let's consider some of them.
Exercise to improve posture and eliminate pain symptoms according to Frolov
One of the exercises that the author proposes to do is “half-cobra” or “Ardha bhujangasana”. It is believed that it provides an opportunity to strengthen the thoracic and lumbar spine. It is performed as follows:
- A practitioner lies on the floor so that his stomach is leaning against the floor and his back is towering over his whole body.
- Then, you should place your hands clearly under the shoulders and raise the upper body, resting on the elbows and hands (while the floor you touch only the lower ribs).
- At the same time, the head is considered an extension of the spine (it does not tilt back and is kept at the same level with the back).
Next, you need to push your hands off the floor (but you can’t tear them off, as in the Sphinx pose) and simultaneously stretch forward behind them. This should give the impression that you want to drag your lower body along the floor behind your hands.
Despite the simplicity of this movement, it is not so easy to carry out. According to practitioners, it’s very difficult to stretch while practicing while remaining in place. At the same time, it is a very effective yoga therapy. The lumbosacral spine in this exercise actually rests and does not strain. Such an exercise should be repeated 2-3 times at a time, increasing the delay time in the pose in stages. It’s worth starting with 5-10 seconds, gradually increasing to 25-30 or more seconds.
Cervical Exercise
To strengthen the cervical spine, you can perform a simple exercise from a standing or sitting position. To do this, you will need a special bar for yoga or a fist. It runs like this:
- From a standing or sitting position, a fist or a special brick for yoga rises.
- It fits clearly under the chin.
- Then, you begin to press your chin on a fist or brick.
This exercise can be repeated 10-15 times 2-3 sets. As you can see, all these exercises are included in such a concept as spinal yoga. Training in these asanas does not imply any special skills. Another thing is that they should be performed in front of a mirror or under the supervision of an insrutor.
What role does an instructor play in yogic therapy?
Treatment of the lumbar, cervical and sacral regions requires an experienced yogatologist or instructor. What is it for? Firstly, as we said earlier, depending on your particular case, it will help to draw up a suitable practice. Secondly, it is the instructor who can look at you from the side and adjust the position of the body when performing certain asanas. And finally, a yoga therapist is your best assistant who can increase the load and redirect it to the right track.
Examples of classes with an instructor
For example, with problems with the lumbar, a practitioner lays on the floor in the "Pose of the Child" and stretches his arms forward. The head thus lowers down. The assistant or instructor leans in, puts his hand on the sacrum and gently presses. The same option is performed, but in a slightly different interpretation. So, the practitioner remains in the previous position, and the yoga therapist carefully sits on the lumbar and creates more pressure on the back due to the partial transfer of his weight to the problem area.
As you can see, it is much more interesting and effective to complete classes with an instructor. But what if it’s not real?
How to do yoga without an instructor?
It may happen that in your city there are simply no qualified experts in the field of yoga therapy. In such cases, you can always seek the help of experienced manual therapists and other specialists who will tell you which exercises are best for you. It also makes sense to perform restorative postures to improve coordination, stretching of the spine. For example, one of these poses is a balance position. It is carried out from a standing position on his knees and resting on his hands. Then, you should raise up the right leg and the opposite arm. Hold in this position for 10-15 seconds, and then change your leg and arm.
A well-proven exercise for the lumbar and cervical spine is the Cat. It is also performed from a position on all fours. However, its implementation should be combined with breathing. On inspiration - the head goes up, and the lower back bends. On exhalation, it is recommended to bend your back up (so do frightened cats). Repeat it should be 10-15 times.
By analogy, the exercise “A cat that looks at its tail” is performed. First, you turn your head to the right and look back, and then simultaneously turn the pelvis in the same direction. Repeat the same action in the opposite direction. This exercise can be done 5-10 times on each side.
Does yoga therapy help in the desire to lose weight?
Many women ask themselves: “Is it possible to lose weight from spinal yoga therapy?” According to experienced instructors, this can be done if we combine special exercises for the back and, for example, additional ones for tightening the abdominal muscles.
One of these exercises is an asana called Naukasana. To do this, you need to sit on the floor, stretch your legs, and then, you need to raise your legs up and fix them at a level of 45º. After that, reach your feet with your hands and freeze for 10-15 seconds. In case of loss of balance, you can lower your hands to the floor with emphasis on your fingers.
In a word, if you have problems with your back, this is not a reason for despair and frustration. To solve the problem and reduce pain you will benefit from yoga therapy that is useful for the whole body. Remember that when doing the asanas on your own, do all the movements slowly and carefully monitor all the sensations.