Posted on

Summer 2018 lower back

There are few people who haven’t experienced lower back discomfort, if not downright pain, at some point of their lives. Humans simply aren’t built very well! The places where the spine changes its curvature – the cervical (neck) to thoracic (upper back) vertebrae, the thoracic to lumbar (lower back) vertebrae – tend to be our problem areas. Often, the neck and lower back will reflect each other’s level of ease, or lack thereof. The abdominals, especially the transversus abdominis, are also involved in keeping the back healthy, for when they are weak, the lower back muscles have to take on more than their fair share of work.

This week’s practice focuses on what to do to release the lower back. Since the hips and lower back are intimately connected, as we learned while exploring the psoas and piriformis during the hips practice (password: “sleepy”), you’ll find we revisit several of our hip asanas again. Practice on for a lower back easing restorative session!

—–

Windshield wipers: Start lying back in constructive rest, and windshield wiper your knees slowly side to side to warm up your lower back.

Block under sacrum: From constructive rest, push your knees forward, which will pull the hips off the ground, and place a block under your sacrum. Use the height of block appropriate for your practice that day. Relax your hips completely onto the block and feel the delicious stretch through the lower back. If you’d like to add a little extra stretch, touch your knees together without moving the feet (you can lift the heels, though). When coming down, remove the block and lay down the vertebrae one at a time, starting at the top of the spine.

Feet remain hip width apart and parallel. Sternum is lifted.

Lower back bolster: Roll up a blanket bolster and place it behind you. Lie down, with the bolster nestled into your lower back. Your hips might not touch the ground – don’t force them down, but do allow the spine to melt over the bolster. Windshield wiper the knees from side to side, again without moving the feet.

Relax spine like a wet noodle over bolster.

Side bolster twist: Roll onto your side while still on the bolster, and nestle it in the soft space between your hip and lower ribs. You might want to move the bolster around a bit unit it feels comfortable. Tuck your knees up, place the foot of the top leg above the knee of the bottom leg, and encourage the upper thigh to roll out. Then reach the upper arm up and out while rolling onto your shoulder blades. (Caution: if your piriformis is extremely tight, this asana might provide too much stretch; begin with thread the needle instead.)

Make sure that your outstretched hand does not drop lower than your shoulder (bottom photo). Place a block under the arm if your shoulder blade does not touch ground yet.

Salabhasana/locust: Lie on your belly, place your forehead on the ground arms next to you. Press the tops of the feet and ankles into the ground (ankles won’t touch, but just have the intention), and make the sacrum heavy; engage your abdominals while relaxing your glutes. Lift upper body (keep those glutes from engaging!) – you may leave the hands on the floor for assistance or lift them next to your body. This pose strengthens the back muscles, which is also important for keeping the lower back happy.

The photos below are from when I could still lie on my belly… 🙂 Sphinx pose (bottom photo) is also a good back muscle strengthener.

Salabhasana/Locust (variation) and Sphinx: both of these asana ask the mid-spine to extend. Keep neck long on both.

Janusirsasana/head to knee pose: Take a seat, stretch the legs out in front of you, then bend one foot in towards the other thigh. Hold the outside of the foot with the opposite hand, or use a belt. Twist slightly towards the leg, so that the spine and leg are lined up one on top of the other, then extend the spine, as you bring the belly to the thigh first, then the lower ribs, then chest, and finally head – this might be a multi-year process! Eventually, you may place the hands one on either side of the foot, as in the photos below.

Tip the pelvis forward in this asana, or place a blanket under your hips if that is a challenge.

Janusirsasana variation: Begin the same way as for janusirsasana, seated with legs in front, one bent. Take hold of extended foot with opposite hand, but instead of keeping the back straight and bringing the belly/lower ribs/chest/head to the leg, round the spine and pull away from the foot until you feel a lovely stretch through your entire back.

Draw abdominal muscles in to enhance this rounded back stretch.

Uttanasana with back against wall: Stand in front of a wall, then take a forward fold. Walk in as close as your back allows, plant feet hip width apart and parallel, and lean into the wall while extending the spine. This is a fantastic pose if you can really let go and trust the the wall is going to hold you up!

Keep front of thighs engaged, heel firmly planted. Release into pose completely.

Simple one-legged twist: Lie back and cross one bent leg over the other straight leg. Keep shoulders down. Twist to the point where that the asana feels good for you. Relax muscles lining the spine and breathe well.

Keep knee bent, or straighten leg for additional twist and stretch.

Finish with savasana and enjoy the after effects of a happy lower back! 🙂

~namaste,

Sylvia

 

Posted on

Main event: Hanumanasana, forward split

This week we have been moving towards Hanumanasana, or the forward split, during practice. This fantastic pose requires both forward bending action at the front leg/hip interface, and back-bending action at the back leg/hip interface, along with suppleness in the hamstrings.

(Note that in class, we add many additional poses before trying hanumanasana, so go slowly if you are trying this on your own, and above all, be gentle with your body – the hamstrings tend to be vulnerable to tearing if pushed too quickly into a stretch.)

But first, as we continue to explore hip biomechanics, it is important to examine the “duck” and “tuck” action of the hips – or, referred to in a more scholarly manner, the anterior and poster tilt of the pelvis (see photos below). Neither extreme is helpful in yoga poses, as too much the anterior tilt compresses the lower back vertebrae and discs, and too much posterior tilt rounds the upper back and strains the lower back muscles and ligaments.

Utkatasana (fierce pose) demonstrating the duck (anterior tilt) and tuck (posterior tilt) of the pelvis.

Being able to isolate these movements in various asanas will give one a better sense of one’s patterns – whether one tends towards lordosis (over-arching the lower back = anterior tilt) or kyphosis (over-rounding the lower and upper back = posterior tilt). These patterns tend to show up in all other poses, so being aware of them allows one to correct them. In addition, the patterns will show up in riding as well, with anterior tilt leading to a stiff lower back that cannot follow a horse’s movement, and posterior tilt leading to extremely tight hip flexors and rounded shoulders, again leading to an inability to elegantly follow a horse’s movement.

Some good poses in which to try both extremes of duck and tuck and then find the “happy medium” follow. These poses also allow one to explore more hip action and also lead to our main event pose.

Start with Supta padanghustasana (lying down hand-to-big-toe pose) and Anjaneyasana (lunge) variations from last week’s practice. Think about how your pelvic tilt changes as you practice these poses.

Supta padanghustasana: Press the foot into the strap with the same pressure as you pull on the strap. Keep bottom of extended leg moving toward floor.
Bending and straightening the leg can help in finding space in the hip socket
Turn foot and knee out at the same angle starting at the hip joint. Keep hip bones even on floor – do not be tempted to go too far at the expense of alignment.
You can allow the leg to cross all the way over the body for this twist. Draw the upper hip away from the shoulder and keep pinky side of foot drawn back/flexed.

Anjayenasana, or high and low lunge poses, provide nice counterposes throughout the practice – throw in this pose anytime you feel like you’d like to stretch out the hip flexors to rebalance the body during the sequence.

Anjaneyasana – high lunge: Counter pose to forward folds
Anjaneyasana – low lunge: Arms can be raised above shoulders for additional stretching of hip flexors. Press top of back foot into ground for stability; pad under back knee with blanket if uncomfortable.

Then move onto Prasarita padottanasana (wide legged forward fold) variations below.

Prasarita padottanasana starting variation, with hips over ankles and spine extended. Note that feet are parallel to each other.
Prasarita padottanasana variation with knees bent and long spine helps one access the hinge at the hips, which will be necessary for the next variation of the pose.
Prasarita padottanasana variation with head moving towards floor. Hands are between feet and front spine is long – the bend comes at the crease of the leg/hip interface, not at the waist. Weight is shifting slightly toward balls of feet. Think “duck” to lift seat-bones here.
Prasarita padottanasana with arms clasped being back. Note what happens to the lower back when you first bring the arms together behind your back – likely a “duck” anterior tilt. Correct this by drawing your lowest ribs together and your abdominal wall up towards the ribcage.

Next, practice Utthita padangusthasana, standing hand-to-big-toe pose variations. It’s like the earlier hand-to-big-toe pose, except standing – how is it a different experience for you now that the orientation of your body to gravity has changed? Note that forward folding poses progress in difficulty from supine (lying back, least difficult) < standing < seated (most difficult).

Utthita padangusthasana with leg forward and to the side. Explore pelvic tilt even in this pose.

Parsvottanasana, intense side stretch (as pose that looks nothing like it’s English name, in my opinion!) really asks the hamstrings to extend. Again, please be gentle with yourselves, and only go to about a 6 or 7/10 intensity level on this pose at first.

Parsvottanasana preparation – one can also put one’s hands on blocks to help keep the front of the spine long
Parsvottanasana intensified – the belly, then the lowest ribs touch down on the extended front leg.

Next is Upavistha konasana, or wide legged seated forward fold. Note that a posterior tilt (tuck) is very common here, as is rounding the back – resist both by placing a folded blanket under your seat and bringing the belly down first.

Upavistha konasana. Keep the knees and toes pointing straight up towards the ceiling, even as you move deeper into the pose. The front of the spine remains long.

Finally, move into Lizard pose (no Sanskrit name that I know of!). Start with the hands down, then bring the forearms onto a block or the floor. Hug the arm with the front knee (which will want to splay out). The back knee on the floor or a blanket makes the pose a little more accessible; lifting the back knee adds intensity.

Lizard pose – note that the foot is outside the hand.

And finally – Hanumanasana, or forward split pose. It is vital to keep the back leg from turning out in the hip socket by continuing to turn the knee towards the floor, and drawing the back leg’s hip forward, while the front leg’s hip draws back.

Hanumanasana. Use blocks and the breath to help yourself ease into the pose – and don’t get overly ambitious!
Hanumanasana-ahhhhhhh 🙂

Happy practicing and ~namaste!

Sylvia