A lot of people in our Western culture suffer from back pain. It often comes from spending so much time sitting in chairs, in cars and on sofas. The muscles of the back become weak at the same time as the hips and legs become tight. Most back pain can be eased by strengthening the back and stretching the hips. The postures in this sequence are intended to do just that. They lengthen the spine, pelvis, hips and legs, and they strengthen the back.
It is a common misconception that stretching the back will relieve back pain. Generally, the back is already too loose and weak, so stretching can irritate the problem and even make it worse. This sequence takes about 30 minutes to do. Excerpt from the Beginning Practice Manual.
0 Comments
Asana practice focuses a lot of attention on stretching and "opening" the body. It goes to great lengths to reduce tension in the body and mind, and increase the functional range of motion in the joints of the body.
But flexibility is not the solution to every physical, mental and spiritual problem. Strength is the other side of the body's coin and equally as valuable. Because asana practice uses only body weight and no apparatus (one of its great values), and focuses largely on static held positions, there is a limited amount of strength one can build using only asana. BODY WEIGHT, NO MACHINES Yoga practice doesn't use any equipment. Before the 1970s there weren't even yoga mats. Only the body. This is one of the greatest traits of physical yoga practice, which it has in common with calisthenics and other apparatus-free disciplines. It can be practiced by anyone, anywhere. There is no expensive equipment needed; no special outfit or shoes. The poorest pauper can do it as well as the richest king. Such is the great democratization of yogic practice. But if we take health and function of the human body as one of our core goals (which admittedly not everyone does), we must expand the exercises we use and the tools that help us. PULLING Pulling is something we can't do in yoga. Since it requires an object - like weights - to pull toward the body, or an apparatus - like a pull-up bar - to pull the body toward, there are large systems of muscles and movement that are neglected in the physical yoga practice. All of the strengthening exercises in yoga are pushing actions. LIFTING WEIGHTS It is no longer a secret that bodybuilders were some of the first modern yogis. In the Ghosh lineage, Bishnu Ghosh worked with Prof. Thakurta to learn "muscle controlling." But even he states in Muscle Control and Barbell Exercises that muscle control - which later influenced his understanding and teaching of asana - shouldn't be attempted by those with weak muscles. He states: "Muscle-controlling makes the muscles shapely and increases the power of application of strength. But I should like to call it the second stage of development, for one should have big muscles before he starts controlling." He is stating that muscle development with barbells should take place before one begins physical control of the body. One drawback to a weightlifting practice commonly stated by asana practitioners is the fear that increasing strength will tighten their muscles and therefore make them less flexible. Because of kinesiological functions of the body, this isn't the case. Of course, repetitive uses of of the body do slightly change the way muscles work, but this happens over very long periods of time. (Example: a trained long distance swimmer has a body that works differently from a high jumpers.) For a yogi, any development of strength will actually encourage the integration of big muscle groups in the body, as well as deepen their relationship between muscle contraction and relaxation. Anytime we use the body, it helps to know how it works. What are the results of our actions in the skeleton, muscles, tissues, organs and nervous system? This is especially important if we want the physical practice to build our health and avoid injury.
A lot of therapeutic yoga also uses knowledge about digestion, organ function, blood pressure and chemistry of the body. These things don't technically qualify as anatomy but lie more in the functional sciences. Yogic practices of Pranayama (breath control) have a profound impact on the autonomic nervous system and the blood acidity, which in turn has diverse effects through the body and mind. Even Meditation is being illuminated by modern science, as we develop machines that take pictures of our brain function and how it is effected by various mental practices. So many results of the yoga exercises can be explained and clarified by modern science, making it easier to understand, easier to duplicate and a lot easier to teach to others. The third of the 6 abdominal engagements is relaxation of both the front and back of the body. This sounds really easy but takes a fair amount of awareness and control. We are used to relaxing one side while the other engages.
Relaxing all the muscles of the abdomen has three great functions: It allows the massage of the intestines by the diaphragm, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system and it can help release systemic tension in the muscles, especially of the low back. MASSAGING THE INTESTINES We don't think much about our intestines, even though they are the primary organ of our digestion. Their healthy function is essential to getting nutrition from the food we eat and expelling the waste. If either of these processes suffers, our health suffers. Most of the postures that we do with relaxed front and backside muscles are targeted directly at the intestinal function. The most obvious is Wind Removing Posture, where we breathe with the diaphragm to massage the intestines. PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM When the muscles of the abdomen relax, our "rest and digest" part of the nervous system is stimulated. This means that our stress is reduced, our digestion improves, our immune function increases and our mind calms down. It is easy to work too hard in these relaxation postures, negating the stimulation of the parasympathetic. Be sure to keep the abdomen relaxed and breathe deeply. LOW BACK TIGHTNESS A more specific benefit that can be had from these postures is the release of chronically-tight low back muscles. This relaxation is achieved through the breath. The deeper you breathe into the abdomen, the more the muscles of the belly and low back will release. This type of muscular action encompasses (from left to right) Shavasana (Corpse Pose), Wind Removing (one leg and both legs), and Half Tortoise. This is a small number of postures, so be sure to get the benefits when you do them! Yogis love to talk about the hips, so much that it has become a joke.
The hips are big joints with diverse movement, and they are central in the body. It is hard to consider any movement or yoga posture without considering the hips. BACK PAIN The main hip muscles that give us everyday problems are the hamstrings, in the back of the legs. They can get very tight from sitting, running, cycling or any number of activities. The problem comes because tight hamstrings can cause the pelvis to tilt backward and flatten out the curve in the lumbar (lower) spine. This will create weakness and seizing muscles in the low back. As such, back pain can be caused by tight hamstrings. HIP FLEXORS The muscles in the front of the hip that help us lift the leg forward are called the hip flexors. These get very tight when we sit a lot (which most of us do). Tight hip flexors can also prevent the pelvis from moving freely, causing problems in the spine. Pretty much all of us can benefit from stretching our hip flexors. HIP ROTATION This is the movement required for many advanced yoga postures, especially for long sitting that enables breathing and meditation. The hips externally rotate, requiring flexibility in the psoas and iliacus, the tensor fascia latae, the gluteus medius, the adductors (inner thigh), and the stabilizers like the piriformis. Hip rotation gets into a lot of small, tough muscles, so progress is often far slower than when we stretch longer muscles. Be patient. SCIATIC PAIN The sciatic nerve comes out of the low spine and weaves through the hips before running down the leg. Irritation of the sciatic nerve can result in hip pain and pain or tingling that radiates down the leg. This irritation can be difficult to heal, since the nerve is long and complex. A good place to start is with the piriformis, one of the externally rotating hip stabilizers. Postures like Pigeon that stretch the back of the hip may bring some relief. OVERDOING IT Once the pelvis is free to move forward and backward, and the spine is able to maintain its natural curves, the hamstrings are long enough. Sometimes there is a tendency in yoga to stretch the hamstrings as far as humanly possible, but that is rarely healthy. And it actually doesn't serve many advanced yoga positions, which generally require hip rotation instead of hamstring length. There are few postures more beneficial than Pavanamuktasana, Wind Removing Posture.
With the legs against the abdomen, pressure builds in the intestines, especially when we inhale. This massages the intestines and internal organs, promoting digestion, absorption of nutrients and smooth elimination. It also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers the heart rate, cools the body, and improves immune function and digestion. All in all, this posture is quite powerful in bringing health, balance and relaxation to the body. FOCUS ON THE BREATH It is easy to focus on the physical elements of the position: Pulling the knees tightly, stretching the hips and flattening the spine. But the greatest benefits of this posture all come from the breath. Focus on breathing "in the belly," pushing the diaphragm down toward the abdomen to create pressure there. Keep the abdominal wall relaxed so it can move in and out with each breath. Each breath will make the abdominal cavity bulge out - this is good! It is massaging the organs and intestines. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HIPS Believe it or not, this is one of the easiest postures in which to injure our hips. When we pull them tightly to the chest, the leg bone (femur) can bump against the hip socket (acetabulum), damaging the cartilage there. If you feel pinching or bone-on-bone contact in your hips in this posture, back off your effort. You don't want to damage your hips. |
AUTHORSScott & Ida are Yoga Acharyas (Masters of Yoga). They are scholars as well as practitioners of yogic postures, breath control and meditation. They are the head teachers of Ghosh Yoga.
POPULAR- The 113 Postures of Ghosh Yoga
- Make the Hamstrings Strong, Not Long - Understanding Chair Posture - Lock the Knee History - It Doesn't Matter If Your Head Is On Your Knee - Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) - 5 Reasons To Backbend - Origins of Standing Bow - The Traditional Yoga In Bikram's Class - What About the Women?! - Through Bishnu's Eyes - Why Teaching Is Not a Personal Practice Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|