In ancient India, the different Yoga poses and breathing techniques were primarily developed by yogis and gurus to promote a healthy body, strong enough to withstand long, grueling hours of meditation. These meditations typically require an individual to sit immobile for several hours and even days, which often result to extreme discomfort and pain in certain areas of the body, particularly affecting the back, neck, hands, shoulders, wrists. In some instances, it can even trigger headaches.
This prompted the yogis to seek for solutions to overcome the discomfort and pain brought about by long hours and days of meditation. Individual poses of Yoga are designed to provide that solution.
The Eight Limbs Of Yoga
Between 200 B.C and 200 A.D., Patanjali codified his own knowledge and thoughts of Yoga into a book called The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. While he is not the creator of Yoga, which existed way before his time, Patanjali is known to be the “Father of Yoga” primarily because he was the one who expounded the principles of Yoga. To this day, the book is considered to be the ethical blueprint for individuals seeking guidance in incorporating Yoga into their lives and in living a moral life. The book includes ““The Eight Limbs of Patanjali’, which are:
- Yama
- Niyama
- Asana
- Pranayama
- Pratyahara
- Dharana
- Dhyana
- Samadhi.
Today, Yoga is widely practiced across the globe as a popular form of physio-spiritual exercise method. A lot of doctors also recommended Yoga as an alternative solution to easing and managing different types of pain.
Yoga For Relieving Back Pain
Back pain is one of the most common problems that beleaguers adults and seniors. The different Yoga poses emphasize stretching, strengthening, and enhancing the flexibility of the muscles, making it an effective alternative solution for alleviating pain and soreness of the lower back region. If you are experiencing recurring or chronic bouts of back pain, find out the different Yoga poses you can perform to help you effectively manage and combat the problem.
One of the simple and most common Yoga poses that you can do to help manage back pain is the Downward-Facing Dog Pose. This position engages the different major muscles of the body and targets the extensor muscles of the back, in particular. Performing this Yoga pose can help alleviate the tension and pain in the said area by stretching the contracted and overly taut muscles.
Another alternative Yoga pose that can help ease back pain is the Child’s Pose, which is a form of an active stretch that focuses on elongating the back muscles, thereby providing relief from excessive muscle tension. When performed on a regular basis, the Child’s pose can be a good preventive measure for back pain. The third pose is the Cat Pose, which is again a great exercise to ease out back pain and soreness as well as promote enhanced flexibility of the back muscles.
Yoga For Easing Shoulder And Neck Pain
Aside from back pain, most adults are also hapless victims of neck and shoulder pain. Again, there are also a number of Yoga poses that one can perform on a regular basis to effectively reduce and prevent shoulder and neck pain. There are even poses that can help treat Frozen Shoulder problems, which is a common issue among athletes and highly active individuals.
For individuals suffering from niggling shoulder pain, the Eagle Arm Pose is highly recommended as it has been proven effective in reducing pain on the shoulder area. It works by relaxing both sides of the neck muscles and making it more flexible.
Another equally effective shoulder and neck pain zapper is the Dolphin Pose, which also happens to be a modification of the Downward-Facing Dog pose. It works by stretching and strengthening the shoulder muscles, releasing the accumulated tension and promoting flexibility and relaxation.
To complement the above-mentioned Yoga exercises, you can derive more efficient relief from pain by practicing the Side Bending Neck Stretch as well as the Shoulder Rolling Routines. These two poses are very easy to practice, which you can perform any time on a regular basis. It works to ease out neck and shoulder pain as well as prevent recurrence of the problem.
Yoga For Treating Hand And Wrist Pain
Hand and wrist injuries are quite common, especially among working individuals across different industries. If your job increases the risks of contracting hand and wrist injuries or speeds up the wear and tear of the muscles, there are specific Yoga poses that you can perform to help maintain strong and highly flexible hands and wrists.
Two of the most effective Yoga poses that you can incorporate in your exercise routine are the Handcuff and Wrist Rotations, which can reduce and prevent pain and injuries. These exercises can be performed any time and any place, whether you are in the office or at home.
Other equally effective Yoga poses that target the hands and wrists include the Prayer Pose, the Reverse Prayer Pose, as well as the Backward Wrist Pose, all of which are easy to practice and incorporate into day to day activities.
Now that you are equipped with the knowledge on how to best manage and prevent pain through different Yoga poses, it is now up to you on how you can best adapt the said routines into your life. Keep in mind that in order to enjoy the full benefits, it is important that these exercises are performed religiously on a regular basis.
Yoga is more than a natural solution for pain management. Read Yoga In Daily Life And Modern Living to gain better understanding on how Yoga fits into the modern lifestyle.
