Your Spine on Yoga
By Sara Butler
Yoga has been in the mainstream for years and you can find classes just about anywhere you look, from your local gym to studios that specialize in different types of yoga. Yes, there's a yoga practice out there for just about everyone. And it just so happens to be a great way to build up your flexibility and strength.
Chiropractors know what researchers are only beginning to uncover: that yoga can help strengthen the back and increase flexibility, helping to relieve pain in those who suffer from low back pain. Here are a few of the many reasons why yoga makes an excellent addition to your regular chiropractic care and why the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic recommend it for many of their patients.
The Physical Benefits
Even though you're not pounding the pavement or jumping up and down when practicing yoga, it's still a great workout -- especially for your back. Yoga benefits the back by:
- Building strength - Yoga helps to increase the strength of specific muscle groups that work to support the spine. When you take a position in yoga and hold it, then it improves the strength of the muscle group that particular pose is targeting. Yoga is renowned for strengthening both the muscles in the back and abdomen, helping you have better posture and retain the full range of motion.
- Stretching muscles - One of the major things that yoga does for your health is help take you through a series of movements that work to stretch the muscles, reducing tension. Yoga requires you to hold poses for anywhere from 10 to 60 seconds, which helps to increase flexibility in the joints. If you have lower back pain, stretching is important to help you to reduce pain.
- Improved posture and balance - The yoga poses moved through in a session help to improve posture and increase your balance with your body in its proper alignment. It also helps to stretch and strengthen both sides of the body equally, which not every exercise can boast.
- Increased bodily awareness - When you spend time positioning and repositioning your body, it helps you to get limber and also helps you to understand your body's limitations. This type of increased bodily awareness is a great way to avoid injury in your everyday life since you know what types of motions must be avoided.
If you're interested in what yoga can do for you and your back pain, talk to a chiropractor at The Joint today!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Surprise, Ariz.
