Yoga Poses for the Lumbar Spine

Low back pain is a common ailment among pregnant women from the 4th-5th months on. It is logical, because the fetus is gaining weight, besides the flexibility and mobility of the small pelvis joints are changing, and the load on the spine increases manifold. Yoga for lower back pain has proven itself well, especially as there are whole asana complexes and individual asanas for back pain – they have a gentle effect on the muscles and are adapted to expectant mothers.

Asanas for back and lower back

Yoga exercises for the back can be done in the hall or yoga center, as well as at home: they do not require special training or constant supervision of the instructor. The main thing is to learn and fine-tune the correct technique and start practicing.

1. Take Cat pose: straight arms and bent knees holding your body weight, standing perpendicular to the floor and parallel to each other.
2. On the inhale, round your back.
3. As you exhale, arch your back, pointing your ribs toward the floor.

Keep your head and neck relaxed and point down between your hands.

4. Do rolls: move your body down to your palms, back up with your back rounded, and the same back – do five repetitions back and forth.
5. Lower yourself onto your forearms, bringing your palms together.
6. Transfer your weight to the knee of your left leg and pull your right leg back and lift it up, as if trying to reach your head with your toe.
7. Lower your leg and bring it forward toward your head (if you are pregnant, do the leg slightly to the side of your body, bypassing the abdomen).
8. Transfer the weight to the right leg and repeat the exercise for the left leg.
9. Now straighten your arms, transfer the weight to them and repeat the same exercise, but with your arms straight.
10. Sit in Dandasana and straighten both feet parallel to the floor.
11. Wrap your right hand around your right foot and pull it up, keeping your arm and leg straight.
12. Repeat with your left hand and foot.

Try to keep your balance, but for beginners, slight rocking is allowed.

13. Go back to Cat pose and repeat rolling back and forth and try doing wavy movements with your spine: the easiest way to do this is to imagine that you are drawing an imaginary circle in the air.

What are the benefits of yoga exercises for the back?

The most important thing in exercises for the back during pregnancy is to relieve tension from the lower back and sacrum. Yoga for lower back pain is excellent, and given our video tutorials performed by professional instructors, you can perform these exercises at home, observing the correct technique. Thanks to yoga asanas muscles are stretched, blood flow is normalized, due to which possible muscle cramps are passed and the back is strengthened. In addition, correct posture is formed, and it is very useful during pregnancy and the first months of motherhood. And what’s more, correct posture suits everyone at any age!

Are there any contraindications?

There are contraindications, both general and applicable to the period of pregnancy. To the first group belong spinal injuries, sprains and fractures. You should not practice yoga during pregnancy in case of diastasis, threat of miscarriage, multiple pregnancy. You should also avoid too dynamic asanas, too hard exercises, and, of course, inverted asanas – they are better left for after the birth. Anyway, if you feel any discomfort while doing asanas, stop doing them and consult a doctor in case of pain.

If the technique of performing asanas is studied, the exercises will carry efficiency, comfort and well-being. And if you add breathing and relaxation practices, you will learn how to quickly release tension from the back and lower back.