4 Ways Yoga May Help Heal Lower Back Pain

Millions of people suffer from lower back pain and it can often be accompanied by depression and anxiety.  If you are considering joining a 200-hour yoga teacher training you can learn how yoga may be able to help people heal or reduce their lower back pain.  The best yoga teacher training programs, such as Inner Yoga Training in Bali Indonesia, will provide you with a good understanding of the anatomy of the lower back.  There are a lot of major muscle groups in this area of the body so as a yoga teacher its good to have an understanding of the structures that can be involved in lower back pain.  Even once you have completed your 200-hour yoga teacher training and you start teaching, its important to remember that you are not a physiotherapist so if you do have a student with chronic lower back pain know your limits.  You can offer poses that may assist them but you are not a medical professional, so if you are unsure, advise them to seek professional treatment.  If they already have a physiotherapist or medical practitioner that they are working with, they might be happy for you to call them and discuss possible ways in which yoga can be incorporated into their treatment plan. With this in mind, here are 4 Ways Yoga May Help Heal Lower Back Pain: Move the Spine Daily Our spine moves in 7 different directions forward fold (flexion), back bend (extension), right /left side stretch (lateral), right / left twist (rotation) and lengthen (axial extension).  One of the benefits of yoga is it focuses on moving the spine in all these directions.  If someone is in pain, they may be protecting that area and limiting their movements as they are scared of further aggravating it. But by limiting their movements it can create stiffness when they try to move in other directions, only adding to the problem.  Attempting some movement of the spine in all directions each day through yoga may help ease stiffness.  Incorporate Yin Yoga Yin yoga focuses on working into deeper connective tissue including ligaments, fascia, tendons and joints.  When there is an injury or someone has limited movement due to chronic pain, then fascia can start to dry up and adhere creating more stiffness.  Yin yoga may help with this through applying appropriate stress to target areas of the body (in this case the lower back) encouraging production of hyaluronic acid which increases the water content of fascia allowing it to glide more easily.  Improves Blood Flow A common cause of lower back pain is "ischemia" or lack of blood. When the lower back doesnt get adequate blood to provide nutrients and oxygen to the area, soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia can build up lactic and other toxins and become painful.  A yoga practice can help increase blood flow to the spine and stretch the muscles carrying a flow of blood supply with healing nutrients and hydration to the structures of the lower back. Meditation and a Mindful Practice One of the main benefits of a yoga practice is how it helps to calm the ever-active human mind.  The best yoga training courses will teach you about the mind-body connection and will have a focus on meditation and mindfulness.  When the mind is calm our levels of stress and anxiety decrease and enhance our mood.  This can counter the negative psychological effects that can come with chronic lower back pain. According to research lower back pain can be increased by someones pain perception.  A negative mood and low sense of wellbeing can intensify back pain that is already there.  If you can reduce your stress and boost your mood during a yoga session this can reduce the pain perception leading to a reduction in the sensations of lower back pain. The mind-body connection is very powerful and can have a strong influence on pain perception. The above suggestions are very broad and intended for general lower back pain or stiffness.  Always seek medical advice for serious chronic lower back issues or injuries before embarking on a yoga practice. Inner Yoga Training has been voted one of the best yoga certification courses in Bali and they teach a combination of vinyasa and yin yoga.  This combination of yoga styles can be a great benefit for lower back pain as vinyasa tends to focus on lengthening and stretching muscles while yin yoga works into the deeper connective tissues such as ligaments and fascia which can often be involved in back pain. If youd like to join Inner Yoga Training in Bali Indonesia to learn more about anatomy the next course is 2 24 June 2022.