Yoga is a gentle practice that is ideal for maintaining back strength and flexibility. It’s also one of the most effective tools for helping reduce low back pain, the most common source of pain and disability among older adults.
Yoga helps strengthen and stretch back muscles that might be tight, which improves mobility, involves a series of poses, also called postures, and emphasizes breathing techniques. The postures teach you to stretch and strengthen your muscles, which helps reduce muscular tension, build flexibility and strength, and improve balance and bone strength.
For low back pain, yoga can be especially helpful to the muscles that support the back and spine, such as the paraspinal muscles that help you bend your spine, the multifidus muscles that stabilize your vertebrae, and the transverse abdominis in the abdomen, which also helps stabilize your spine.
The benefits of yoga go beyond muscles. The slow movements and the continuous focus on proper breathing can improve the emotional aspect of back pain by helping to lower stress and alleviate anxiety and depression.
Please learn more on the Scientific Research supporting the evidence of the benefits of Yoga on the back in our “The Science of Yoga” section.
As Joseph Pilates used to say: “You are only as young as your spine is flexible” – so let’s keep those spines happy and healthy together!
This Class is offered in Private or Group setting. We always recommend to start with Private Classes when working with a particular condition or healing an injury.