When pain occurs in the shoulder blades and thoracic spine, it is useful for pregnant women to perform yoga exercises. The eastern practice, aimed at gentle stretching, contributes to:
– getting rid of discomfort and painful sensations;
– strengthening the muscles of the chest, shoulder area and upper back;
– ease of breathing as a result of the opening of the chest.
Yoga classes also help in cases of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine.
Before you start, you need a short warm up to warm up the muscles and ligaments.
1. Feet shoulder width apart in a comfortable position for solid support. Bend forward, lowering the belly between the thighs. For extension of the thoracic region it is useful to connect the palms into a lock and place them on the back of the head.
2. Marjariasana(cat pose): knees bent at shoulder width or slightly beyond for comfort of the abdomen, rest your shins on the floor, straight arms parallel to the hips, palms flat on the mat:
– make movements of the spine, trying to pay special attention to the thoracic region – on the inhale round the back up, on the exhale sag to the mat;
– Turn the body to one side and back, leaning on outstretched straight arms and trying to reach the pelvis with your head;
– do smooth rolls – pull the body forward, arching to the mat, and return to the starting position, arching the back up. Then repeat in reverse – roll forward like a wave with a rounded back and move backward along the floor;
– bring the knees closer to each other and make circular rotations, trying to do the exercise with maximal amplitude – arch the back up, then slightly go to the side, bend to the mat and to the other side, as if describing a barrel with the body;
– Arms shoulder-width apart, do push-ups. If it is easy, then almost touch the floor with the chin, if it is difficult, then slightly bend the arms at the elbows. Knees rest on the floor, shins rest on the mat, pelvis stays up.
From the cat pose, lower yourself onto the bent arms, with the distance between the elbows resting on the floor equal to the length of the forearms, folding the palms together. As you inhale, roll body forward trying to touch the floor with your chin, then as you exhale return to the starting position.
4. Thoracic spine twists: Sitting on the mat – left leg bent in front of the body, heel as close to the crotch as possible, right thigh back behind the pelvis, fingers resting on the floor at your sides – make a right body turn and hold the position for 2-3 breaths. Then change the position of your legs and turn to the left side.
5. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior pose): Take a wide step with your right foot and stretch your left foot backwards, resting on your fingers, palms folded in namaste, raising your hands up above your head, completely straightening your arms. If you feel comfortable, you can squat more deeply in this position, lowering your pelvis to the floor. Fix the pose, and then:
– Extend the arms folded together forward, and with the heel of the back foot strive backward, forming a straight line;
– Lowering the knee of the left foot onto the mat, put the right foot a bit farther forward, put the palms of your hands on the right knee and push it away from you, or put the palms of your hands behind you and make a slight bend in the thorax.
6. Variation of Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-angle pose with forward bend): We put our feet as wide as possible along the mat, lower ourselves forward leaning on straight arms, in this position raise the right arm up, making a small twist and opening the thoracic region, then lower it to the mat and repeat the body turn in the other direction with the left arm raised.
In a more difficult variant, the right palm is placed on the left foot, the left hand is lifted up and the twist is made to the left, then the exercise is repeated with the left palm on the right foot and the right hand lifted up.
To compensate for thoracic flexion, stretch into Adho Mukha Shvanasana (downward-facing dog pose):
Leaning on the mat with straight legs and arms, take the body into an angle position above the floor. The pelvis tends to go upward, we try to put the head lower to the mat for better extension of the spine in the chest area. If the leg muscles are not stretched enough, you can bend your knees slightly, making sure that your back stays straight.
– When performing rolls in Cat Pose, try to put your hands at shoulder width, not allowing them to move far away from your body.
– During push-ups, elbows are moved back along the body, arms should not be wide apart.
– While doing the twist, keep the back straight, aiming upward with the top of the head, looking over the shoulder.
– Any discomfort in the body, pain and discomfort in the abdomen must be eliminated by leaving the pose or stopping the class.
The practice of yoga for the thoracic spine, represented by a set of exercises for pregnant women with an intermediate level of training, is dedicated to the video lesson on the site. Asanas have several variants of execution, among which it is convenient to choose a comfortable one depending on your well-being and pregnancy period.
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