The stiffness all around your body is a cry for help. In the middle of balancing work and social life, our body needs a bit of attention too; otherwise, long-term difficulties like pinched nerves, muscle spasm and such may make us immobile one day.
Yoga does more wonders for our body than we realize. Centuries ago, yoga was an act of spiritual enlightenment; the philosophy was to have our body and mind bind together as one. The correlation of movement, meditation and breathing together opens up a sanctuary within oneself.
In this article, I am talking about some of the pain relief best yoga positions that you can do easily at home.
Pain Relief Best Yoga Positions at Home in 2024
As we progressed, yoga appeared to be more beneficial for the heart and mind. It increases cardiovascular fitness, promotes blood pressure stability, along with muscular strength, and relieves pain in the body. Moreover, it encourages the body’s efficiency by improving flexibility, coordination, and balance, as well as stress management, getting rid of mind fog, and bringing back focus and productivity.
All in all, yoga is the best way to tie your body and mind together to distance yourself from this chaotic life, and spend time within yourself.
1. Yoga stretches for beginners
Before leaning towards any physical activities, one must do some stretches beforehand to get your body and mind prepared and warmed up. Otherwise, sudden pressure on your body may lead to unprecedented consequences.
Here are some stretches to kick-start your yoga regime,
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
It is the very first, beginner-friendly stretch to start off your yoga journey. Start by standing still straight on your yoga mat, feeling the ground under your feet and finding balance. Keep your eyes straight and relax your shoulders while keeping both hands to your sides. Both of your feet should be aligned with your hip width, Lift your hands upwards over your head as you breathe deep.
There you have it, Secure your posture.
Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
Stand still as you stretch your hands towards the ceiling, touch your palms together, and keep looking straight while you move one of your legs, bending the knee inwards with the feet placed on your standing legs thigh. This one strengthens your core and, at the same time, helps you balance on one foot.
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Next up, touch down your palms to the floor, bend down your upper body, and lift your hip upwards to the ceiling, making a V. this stretches the entire body at once. You could bend your knees a little if it’s difficult to keep the position.
Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
Get your knees and palms on the floor at the same time, position them on the table top. Arch your back as you inhale, then lift your chest and tailbone towards the ceiling. Again, round your spine towards the ceiling , tucking your chin towards your chest. This stretches the spine and neck for flexibility.
2. Best yoga poses according to your need
Yoga offers you various positions designed to address specific areas of improvement for your body. Whether you’re seeking relief from pain or want to enhance your overall well-being, yoga provides targeted practices to meet your particular needs. Here are some of the best pain relief yoga positions according to your needs:
Back pain
Poor posture, sitting for a longer period of time, lifting heavy weight, and lack of exercise are the major reasons for back pain. In order to ease your sprains and strains, check out the following yoga poses:
N B: Don't forget to do the stretches before committing to these poses
Bridge pose: Lie down straight on your mat, bend the knee with the feet resting on the floor, while your hands are placed on the sides. Slowly move your tailbone upwards, pressing hands and feet to the floor. Try to hold the position for 20 seconds. Keep lifting your tailbone up and down as your comfort. Make sure not to overdo it.
Two-knee Spinal Twist: Lie on your back, lifting your knees towards the chest while stretching your hands open to the sides. Slowly, keeping the knees touching, lower your legs to the sides (left or right). And turn your neck to the opposite side. Hold this pose for 30 seconds and repeat the pose on the opposite side.
Sphinx pose: Lie on your stomach, with legs extended behind you. Slowly move your head as well as your upper torso upwards, keeping the hands pressed on the floor in support of your elbow. And hold for 5 minutes.
Locust Pose: Lie on your stomach, arms by your sides. While the toes touch the floor, and heels out. Then lift the head and chest up. Hands slowly move upwards simultaneously with the legs. This backbend can go on for about 1 minute, make sure to rest before repeating the process.
Cobra pose: Lie forward on your stomach with the legs extended in the back, press your palms on the sides of your chest with little support from your elbow, while your upper torso and head are moving up and down. The gentle backbend
Neck pain
Neck pain is extremely common among people, as it is caused by repeated forward movements, as well as poor posture holding the head in one position for a long time. At times, the pain extends to the back and shoulders.
Here’s some poses to relieve your neck pain, Let’s take a look
Standing forward bend pose: As you stand straight on your mat, fold your upper body in front, towards the leg, and and keep your shoulders and neck relaxed as you tuck the chin in towards the chest while your palms rested on the floor. Make gentle circles or shake your head, so that it releases strains.
Warrior 2 pose: Stand with your one foot in front, body turned towards that leg, while extending the other leg from the back. Widen your arms, parallel to your forward leg. Now, bend the forward knee, pressing both the feet for support. Remain in the pose for 30 seconds.
Extended triangle pose: Stand with your feet wide apart, one foot in front and the other behind, hips facing forward. Extend your arms parallel to the floor. Shift your front foot forward and bend at the hip towards the front leg, keeping your back straight. Place your hand on your front leg or on the floor beside it, extending your other arm towards the ceiling. Keep your gaze upward. Hold for 30 seconds.
Bridge pose: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Keep your arms alongside your body with palms facing down. Press your feet into the floor as you lift your hips towards the ceiling, engaging your glutes and core muscles.
Optionally, clasp your hands under your back and roll your shoulders under for added support. Hold the pose for 30 seconds, then slowly lower your hips back down to the ground.
Child’s pose: Kneel on the floor with your toes touching and knees apart. Sit back on your heels and lower your torso and head forward, resting your forehead on the mat. Extend your arms in front of you or relax them alongside your body, palms facing up. Breathe deeply and hold the pose for 30 seconds to a minute, allowing your body to relax and stretch.
Stress relief
Untreated stress negatively affects one’s mind and body, especially being constantly subjected to stressful situations, which can strain your muscles and hamper your blood pressure, resulting in fatigue, anxiety, and even digestive issues.
Here are some poses to relieve stress after a long day of work:
Sitting pose: Start by sitting on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you. Bend your right leg at the knee and place your right foot on your left thigh. Then, oppositely, bend your left leg and bring it to rest on your right thigh. Keep both feet close to your belly with feet turned upward. Extend your arms and place your palms on your knees. Sit upright in this position.
Happy Baby Pose: Lie flat on your back on the mat. With your head resting on the mat, bend your knees at a 90° angle and bring them toward your chest, facing the foot-soles of your feet toward the ceiling. Reach forward to grab your feet and spread your knees apart, bringing them toward your body. Bend your heels into your hands and gently rock side-to-side. Stay in this position for several deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
Legs up the wall pose: For this pose, all you have to do is, rest your legs upwards, facing the ceiling against a wall, while you’re lying on the floor. Adjust the position by moving your tailbone against the wall. You can hold this position for as long as 10 minutes.
Improving flexibility
- Intense side stretch (Parsvottanasana): Stand on your feet, then move one leg to the side. Slowly bend over, while tucking your chin inwards to your chest, your upper body towards one side of the leg with your hands stretched out to touch your toe. As you move back to standing straight, place your hands on your hip. And repeat the process with the other side of each leg.
- Head-to-knee (Janu Sirsasana): Similar to the side stretch, only on this one, you have to be seated on the floor. Stretch one of your legs to the side, bend the body, torso and head to that side of the leg, while both hands extend to touch the toe. And the other leg tucked inside towards your thighs.
- Bow Pose (Dhanurasana): Lie down on your stomach, bend your knees and feet upwards, and hold the legs with your hands. As you hold your legs, your head and torso are supposed to move up as well, making your whole body circle in. You can repeat the process 2-3 times for 30 seconds.
- Wide-angle seated forward bend (Upavistha Konasana): Sit on the floor, stretching both of the legs as wide as possible, toes facing up. Slowly fold down your straightened spine and arms towards the floor. And hold this position for 1-2 minutes.
- Plow Pose (Halasana): Lie down on your back, slowly try to move your straight legs towards your head, with the hands supporting your waist, pressing the waist upwards if needed. It may look like a circle. This pose would bring your chest towards your chin. Slowly release by rolling your spine towards the floor. You can hold this position for 1–2 minutes.
Core strengthening
- Down dog splits (Adho Mukha Svanasana): Stand still and bend the hip downward. Making an inverted V with the upper body and legs, use both of the hands for support. Slowly lift one leg, and have it straightened outwards, up the ceiling. Make sure to have your spine, hands and upward leg, parallel to each other. Hold the position for 5 breaths and repeat with the other leg.
- Boat Pose (Navasana): Sit on your floor and stretch your legs. The body and legs would coordinate to make V shape, so move your legs at 45° upwards, and adjust your body naturally to fall back. While having both your legs and body in a still V position, your hands must be straightened out in the air towards your feet.
- Eagle Pose (Garudasana): Stand on the floor and have one (right) leg of yours bended while another one is wrapped on top of the leg. making all of your weight on one leg. Take your right arm bent 90° and have the left arm wrapped around it, quite similar to the legs. Hold this position for 3-5 breaths and then release.
Takeaways
While Yoga positions relaxes your body, it boosts the inner adrenals and eases tension as well. Positioning your body in the right manner enhances better results; at the same time, it is crucial to make safe movements to avoid injurious outcomes.
Keep in mind not to push your body beyond its capacity. With consistency and mindfulness, pain relief best yoga positions can become a powerful tool in an overall wellness strategy.
References
- Beginner’s Guide: 10 Best Yoga Poses and Exercises. (n.d.). Level: Super mind. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://level.game/blogs/easy-yoga-poses-for-beginners?lang=en
- Cronkleton, E. (2019, October 23). Boost Your Flexibility with These 8 Yoga Poses. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/yoga-for-flexibility
- Cronkleton, E. (2020, May 29). 12 Yoga Poses for Neck Pain. Healthline. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/health/yoga-for-neck-pain
- Cronkleton, E. (2020, August 25). The 10 Best Yoga Poses for Back Pain. Healthline. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/yoga-for-back-pain
- 10 Yoga Poses To Try When Your Stress Levels Peak. (2023, March 13). Peloton The Output. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.onepeloton.com/blog/yoga-for-stress-relief/
- Yoga – health benefits. (n.d.). Better Health Channel. Retrieved June 1, 2024, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/yoga-health-benefits
