Hatha Yoga Practice: Exercises for Spinal Stretching

Asanas for back stretching and flexibility

The health and flexibility of a woman’s spine become especially important during pregnancy. During this period, the load on the spinal column changes. Consequently, the muscles that are directly attached to the vertebrae begin to function differently. These muscles are responsible for flexing and extending the spine and its twisting to the sides, and they are key to ensuring a person’s comfort and freedom of movement. Due to changes in posture and the shifting center of gravity in the body, the overall muscle load on a woman increases during pregnancy. This includes the deep and superficial muscles of the back and neck, as well as the abdominal muscles. Working with the abdominal muscles during pregnancy needs to be done with caution; some poses in a gentle version strengthen the abdominal and peritoneal muscles. On our website, you can find a set of such poses. Yoga exercises for stretching the back and neck can be done daily.

Caring for your back during pregnancy involves strengthening and relaxing the muscles, as well as stretching the spine itself. Yoga for spine stretching includes several poses that allow the vertebrae to return to their natural position, alleviating stress on them, even if temporarily. This will help relieve pain in the spine and the deep back muscles that are directly attached to it.

Spine stretching yoga can be practiced from the very early stages of pregnancy. If you have had a back injury or spine surgery, it is essential to discuss yoga practice with your healthcare provider, and at least initially, perform the poses with an instructor. Contraindications include:

• Threat of pregnancy termination,

• Severe preeclampsia.

It’s better to perform hatha yoga exercises for stretching the spine in the evening when the back has already received its daily load. Then the effect of the exercises will be more noticeable: you’ll feel how the back muscles and spine return to normal, becoming more flexible and mobile, while any discomfort or pain disappears. If you do spine-stretching asanas right before sleep, a peaceful and comfortable night is guaranteed for you.

Yoga Poses for Spinal Stretching

Apanasana. This pose stretches the deep layers of the spinal muscles. Technique: Lying on your back, wrap your right hand around your right knee and your left hand around your left knee. Pull your knees as close to your chest as possible while trying to press your tailbone to the floor. Hold the pose for about a minute. The pose can be practiced until the very end of pregnancy if flexibility allows. There is a simplified version of the pose for yoga beginners, which effectively relaxes the back up to childbirth.

Marjariasana – Cat Pose. Execution technique: get down on all fours, on exhalation, direct the chin towards the chest, arch the back, and pull the shoulder blades upward. Then, on inhalation, bend the back, tilt the head back, and try to look at the ceiling. The arch should extend from the lower back to the neck. An addition to the asana – when arching, turn the head and pelvis to one side, then to the other. From the starting position of this asana, you can also do another: alternately lift and stretch opposite arms and legs in a line.

One of the best asanas for stretching the back muscles, which also includes a lumbar stretch, is considered in yoga to be Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward-Facing Dog Pose. The exercise can be performed during pregnancy, but in a gentler version: place the legs wider apart and place the hands not on the floor, but on a support – bricks or a low stool.

A similar exercise can be performed on the floor. Start on all fours with legs wide apart. Keep the pelvis in place, and stretch your arms as far forward as possible, extending your back along with them. In this position, your forehead touches the floor, and the back muscles from the lower back to the neck stretch, returning flexibility to the spine.

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You will find more hatha yoga poses for stretching the spine in the video on our website.

What do you need for home practice?

For performing yoga exercises for spine flexibility at home, you will need:

• A special mat,

• A large rubber ball and a small bouncy ball, which can be used for a full set of poses for the lower back,

• A low stool or another support to simplify some poses during advanced stages of pregnancy,

• Blankets, quilts, pillows – they are traditionally needed by pregnant women to place under their back, shoulders, under the buttocks for elevation, and more.

Notes for Beginners

On the internet, a significant portion of exercises for stretching the spine and back muscles are shown from a position lying on the stomach. However, such poses are not allowed for pregnant women. Twists and any poses that involve abdominal tension and breath-holding are also contraindicated.

If you started practicing yoga only after becoming pregnant, begin with the simplest exercises, preferably under an instructor’s supervision. If you started practicing yoga for spine stretching from video lessons, precisely replicate the asanas. Poses for spinal flexibility significantly impact both the vertebrae and muscles, so be sure to listen to your body and stop the exercise if you feel discomfort or pain.

Any yoga exercises should be finished with quality relaxation in Shavasana. At early stages, you can lie on your back, but as your belly grows, it’s better to rest on your side with a blanket or small pillow under your knee.

It’s not necessary to wait for pain in these areas before starting to do stretching exercises for the back and neck muscles. If you start stretching your spine for preventive purposes from the very beginning of pregnancy, there is a chance that you’ll go through all 9 months with a back that won’t trouble you.