Yoga to Get Rid of Back Ache - Part 1

Ushtrasana (The camel pose)

Anurag posted to say that he too wanted to get rid of the back ache. I suppose there could be many who want to do that.

I thought let me come out with a series of yoga postures that helped me immensely, and that they could perhaps be helpful to all others too.

But first, let me publish the necessary warnings. I am no Yoga instructor, only a student - though some may say that I am an intermediate level student, learning some advanced postures these days. So, the value of a Yoga instructor, who specializes in therapeutic yoga is never discounted. Below is published the checklist for back-cure.

Step1: Talk to your orthopaedist. Have her review your spinal condition. If it's not slip disk, or some other grave spinal condition then proceed to step2. If you have them, talk to a yoga acharya who specialises in Yoga therapy to cure disease.

Step2: Remember never ever to do any forward bending Asana during Yoga as long as you have back-ache.

Step 3: Depending on the gravity of the pain (the more intense the pain the less you proceed beyond the first few) you do the following Asanas:

1) Kati-Uttanasana - the waist tilting
2) Markatasana / Udarakarshanasana (there are three varieties - if pain is grave, do not do the 2nd and the 3rd variety)
3) Utthita padasana (one leg and both legs both are good) - Leg Raise
4) Ardha halasana - Another form of leg Raise
5) Supta Padangushthasana
6) Nasa Sparshasana
7) Pavan Muktasana (one legged and two legged)
8) Tolangulasana

Next week (I get a chance to photograph myself only during the weekends), I would publish the photographs of the above asanas.

There are backbending Asanas too which help get rid of the back pain - but they all come with necessary warnings or contraindications.

I would talk about them much later in this series.

The camel pose above is one such asana

Natarajasana - I am getting hooked to it

Natarajasana was one of the first Asanas that I started doing in my quest to get rid of back pain.





Natarajasana - left leg

Even before I started practising it some 10 months ago, I knew how the purna-natarajasana looked like. In my mind the ongoing strife was to reach that level. That is to say, hold the leg with both hands, and touch your foot to your head.

Just as Bruce Lee used to say, "In your mind you must aim to strike one inch deeper than the target. Only then will you be able to achieve that hit."

Yogananthan video

Yogananthan's looks have a very striking similarity with the younger-age photos of the Einstein of yoga - BKS Iyengar.

When he was saying that he watched his grandfather practise yoga - for a moment I wondered was he talking of BKS?

A fantastic video recommended by Green Yogi

Yogananthan posted it.

Brilliant Ashtanga Yoga Video

Shot in India.

Recommended again by Green Yogi.

Yoga Videos

Kriya Yoga Video

Yoga postures done by children

Yoga Videos by Marcello Gamma

This recommended by none other than Green Yogi also known as sébastien Van de Walle from Switzerland.

Bandhas and Kriyas
Ashtanga Vinyasa

Boxing gloves

Pincha Mayurasana and Vrischikasana

That I am posting today, would not be possible without the continuous encouragement and egging from one individual - Shameem Akhtar.

We did not know each other even a month ago. I saw her yoga articles at rediff.com - saw a few Asanas performed by her some of which I was not able to execute, some of which (of course the easy ones - :)) I was. For example, I tried to do the Ardhachandrasana that she did and almost toppled myself over. :).

Well, these balance Asanas are rather tough! Perhaps that's why I lack some self-confidence. I am trying to do them ever since. Particularly, this Natarajasana with which I am feeling rather comfortable these days.


Natarajasana


This asana is good for me especially since these backbending asanas are really good for my spine which was hurting mad for the last three-four years.

Need to fix my back urgently. Hence, trying to make suppler by bending a little more every day. During our interaction I mentioned to Shameem that I was now trying to relax in the scorpion pose.

If your back is hurting, first you could take the opinion of an orthopaedist - since that's one important variable to decide what sort of fixing mechanism options are available. For example, I wasn't able to even think about the scorpion or head stand pose even a month ago. Though my back was all right to touch my toes with my fingers, it wasn't as good as to take a jerk to the back muscles which was needed during the take-off to head stand. Even now, when I cannot feel back-pain at all during normal hours, most forward bending asanas are a no-no.

Just as a great mentor that Shameem is, she immediately motivated me to publish a photo of the pose. See I am not perfect as yet in this pose (Though my wife likes them).



Vrischikasana - the Scorpion




Pincha Mayurasana/(in West Bengal it is known as Vyaghrasana)

1) My head should be tilted a little upward, and the legs should be closer to each other and to the head. I would like to ideally, touch my head with my feet.
2) My arms should be a little straighter so my torso could be a little higher from the the ground - floating in space
3) And my breathing should be a little more regular. Bottom line is I should be able to talk in normal voice striking this pose, if at all I want too - though I would not, in normal circumstances. I would like to meditate, ideally speaking in any pose that I do.


PS: 1) The photogrpahs were taken by my cousin Sudipto Mohanto, a Business Analyst in the ITES industry

2) Implementing Shameem's feedback, changed the spelling of Byaghrasana to Vyaghrasana and made it familiar sounding to all having an ear for the Sanskrita language

Soliloquy

Shameem Akhtar, as she is always so very helpful, suggested that I start blogging at this site when I complained that yahoo blog has more restrictions than with what I am really comfortable in posting my blogs.

So here I am, though in double minds. Yahoo blog has numerous feel-good features. You are connected to your yahoo mail which translates into if you are logged into the mail, you are automatically logged into the blog, your yahoo groups, your yahoo photos etc. etc. I wonder if such kind of ease and fun would be found here too.
Then there are other doubts... will I be able to connect my yahoo blog here? I really don't want to let go that - I would loath to copy and paste here everything I wrote there - that would be really tedious.

Well, let me let go of these worries - as always things will settle by themselves. And thou shalt have fun!