BackFaqs

These 3 yoga stretches that anyone can do will start to loosen up your back muscles and help relieve your pain. If you do them regularly, you should begin to feel a difference. Maybe you'll even start feeling almost as loose as this relaxed to the max kitty.

 But before you start, please observe the following cautions and tips:

• If your muscles are in spasm or your symptoms are new or severe, please see a medical professional before you start any exercise program.
• Always warm up before you stretch. You don't want to stretch cold muscles. It's like stretching a cold rubber band. Walking at a moderate pace (or walking in place) for about 5 minutes is enough. But don't just roll out of bed on a cold morning and start stretching.
• And never stretch to the point of pain. A stretch should always feel good. You want to feel a pleasant "pull," but nothing more than that.
• Always breathe into the stretch. I'll talk more about that as I describe the individual stretches, but it's an important point because people sometime concentrate so hard that they hold their breath. Just breathe in and out normally.
• These stretches are usually done on the floor, but if it's difficult or uncomfortable for you to get down on the floor, you can do them all on your bed. And if you do them on the floor, make sure you put down a couple of blankets or a mat for some cushioning. See, yoga doesn't have to be so hard.
• As a general rule, hold the stretches for 20-30 seconds.

Cat/Cow Pose

1. Start on all fours, like you're a baby about to start crawling. Your back should be as flat as possible (not arched, not rounded).
2. Breathe in as you arch your back and look up. (If looking up causes neck pain, you don't have to.)
3. Breathe out as you round your back like an angry cat. Let your head and neck follow the rest of the movement, as shown below.

Do this sequence slowly two or three times. Hold each position for several seconds as you breathe slowly and consciously. With each inhalation, focus on feeling the stretch from the bottom of your spine all the way to your neck.

You can have some fun playing with this.

• It can be done as a slow, almost meditative "wake-up" flow, or as a faster warm-up movement.
• You can hang out in the rounded or arched position for 30 seconds to a minute as you tuck your chin to your chest and then look up toward the ceiling. Repeat the looking up and down sequence several times SLOWLY. This is a great neck stretch.
• You can even turn this into a cat/cow/dog pose by wagging your tail! Just go back to the all fours position with your back flat. Keeping your back flat (not arching or rounding), turn your head and body as if you're trying to look at your rear end.
• Do this sequence first to one side, then to the other.  Kind of like a dog wagging its tail. Repeat several times in a flow just like the basic cat/cow stretch. And of course don't forget to breathe! This gives a really yummy stretch all along your ribs and the side of your back.

Knee to Chest Pose

1. Start by lying on your back with your arms over your head for an overall stretch if you can do that comfortably. Otherwise, just leave your arms at your side.
2. Keeping your right leg straight, bring your left knee in toward your chest and wrap your hands or arms (whatever will reach) around your leg, just below your knee
3. If you can do it without causing any pain, lift your head as shown in the picture above.
4. Squeeze your knee toward your chest.
5. Hold for a couple of comfortable breaths, then lower your leg and head back to where you started.
6. Repeat on the other side.

You should feel a stretch in your hamstring and your lower back.

If you feel anything other than a gentle stretch, such as pain, numbness, or tingling, back off right away. Perhaps you went a little farther than your body was ready to go today, or maybe this stretch is a bit too much for your situation right now. You always have to be the judge. After you back off, you can try it again without going quite as far. You can also try wrapping your hands around your thigh instead of your knee (a much easier reach).

After you've done the stretch with each leg a few times, try it holding both legs together, as shown below.

Child's Pose

Child's Pose, or Balasana, its Sanskrit name, is a resting pose in yoga. It's usually used in between other, more intense postures. It's a great way for beginners and anyone with back pain to do a modified forward bend. Instead of standing and bending forward, which places a heavy load on your spine, you can get most of the benefits of a wonderful all over back stretch without putting pressure on your spinal column.

1. Start on your hands and knees, just like you did for the cat/cow stretch, with your knees spread about  hip's width apart. It might end up being more comfortable for you to spread your knees even wider - you can play with that as you get into the stretch.
2. Push back gently with your hands until your forehead is on the floor and your rear end is resting as close to the floor as is comfortable (or possible).
3. Breathe slowly and consciously as you relax into the stretch. With each exhalation, feel your back muscles relaxing a little more deeply.

Notes:

If the stretch feels too intense, place a pillow or two (or even three) under your forehead until you can relax into the stretch. It's not a competition - it's a resting pose!
If you have any foot or ankle problems try a pillow or rolled up towel under your feet. If you have knee injuries, severe ankle problems or high blood pressure, this isn't the pose for you.

Child's pose stretches your thighs, hips and ankles, and lengthens your entire spine.

Done regularly, these 3 simple stretches should ease your journey. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this article.

As we say in yoga class, Namaste! It's an Indian greeting, and the literal Sanskrit meaning is "I bow to you." So, I bow to you,  my readers. Until we meet again.