What is “Yoga”?

Whenever the term “yoga” is mentioned, what comes to mind is the mysticism of the East. Yoga is a derivative of the root word yuj, which means to unite or to join together, leading to the unification of the human nature of man with the divine, a transformation of man from his natural form to a higher perfected form. Based on classical yoga texts, yoga’s purpose is to lead to a silence of the mind so that it can accurately reflect on objective reality without the distraction of its own subjective distortions.  It works towards a transformation of the mind,  from one full of noise to a still mind. Yoga has had a long and ancient history. Down through the ages, yoga has become synonymous with ascetic practices, with an uncomplicated lifestyle.

What is lower back pain? 

Lower back pain happens when the stack of disks that constitute the spine become herniated,  ruptured, get torn or misaligned.  Strained back muscles or when the ligament tissues in the spine are stretched to the limit and get hurt in the process causes lower back pain problems. The resulting pain can be mild and may go away after a few days or it may be excruciating and persist for a few days or so. One of the most common treatments for lower back pain is through an exercise regimen coupled with certain changes in lifestyle.

Yoga stretches for lower back pain

Yoga-based exercises have been recognized as a mild form of physical activity that can be taken up to help strengthen the large muscles of the back and the smaller tendons and ligaments that hold the spine together and absorb the tension arising from the movements that you make in the course of a normal day. Yoga stretches for lower back pain, in particular, can help control or prevent the recurrence of lower back injuries and the attendant pain. The practice of yoga, in general, together with a healthy lifestyle, i.e., no smoking, no drinking, no drug use, can greatly facilitate recovery from incidents of osteoporosis or herniated disks.  Yoga stretches for lower back pain can help tone the back muscles making them more flexible as well as improving your posture and alleviating pain. Different yoga poses, whichever ones you may feel most comfortable in executing, can aid in minimizing the debilitating effects of lower back pain. It may be a good idea to study and understand how yoga poses can help reduce your back pain. For example, pelvic tilts are quite often recommended to help strengthen the sacroiliac joint and the adjacent bone structures.  They can also help correct poor posture, certain types of muscle atrophy and be used as a starting point of muscle stabilization regimens for the lower back.

While some yoga poses may look intimidating to the uninitiated, you can start with the more simple yoga stretches for lower back pain that directly address you lower back problems.