The Yoga Back Book: The Gentle Yet Effective Way to Spinal Health. Stella Weller
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Название: The Yoga Back Book: The Gentle Yet Effective Way to Spinal Health
Автор: Stella Weller
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Эзотерика
isbn: 9780008125288
isbn:
Back Break
To relieve back tension which builds up during prolonged sitting, a ‘back break’ is ideal. Get up from your seat and practise exercises to counteract the forward-bending attitude inherent in most sedentary activities.
Practise neck and shoulder exercises such as described in chapter four. Also practise a standing version of the Stick Posture (also chapter four, here), which is an excellent all-body stretch.
In addition, practise the two exercises to follow. Modify them to suit your needs or circumstances.
Posture Clasp
1 Sit on your heels in the Japanese Sitting Position (see Fig. 9). Breathe regularly.
2 Reach over your right shoulder with your right hand. Keep your elbow pointing upwards rather than forwards, and your arm close to your ear.
3 With your left hand, reach behind your back, from below, and interlock the fingers with those of the right hand. Maintain a naturally erect posture throughout the exercise and keep breathing (Fig. 11).
4 Hold this posture as long as you comfortably can. Do not hold your breath.
5 Resume your beginning position. Relax. Shrug your shoulders a few times, or rotate them, as you wish,
6 Repeat the exercise, changing the position of the arms and hands, so that the left elbow now points upwards.
Fig. 11. Posture Clasp
Variations
You can practise the Posture Clasp in a standing position, or sitting on a stool or bench, or in a folded-leg posture.
If your hands don’t touch each other, use a scarf or other suitable item as an extension: toss one end over your shoulder, and reach behind and below to grasp the other end. Pull upwards with the upper hand and downwards with the lower.
Chest Expander
1 Stand tall with your feet comfortably apart and your arms at your sides. Breathe regularly.
2 Inhale and raise your arms sideways to shoulder level; turn your palms downwards.
3 Exhale and lower your arms. Swing them behind you and interlace the fingers of one hand with those of the other. Maintain a naturally erect posture and keep breathing regularly.
4 With fingers still interlaced, raise your arms upwards to their comfortable limit; keep them straight (Fig. 12). Remember to maintain an erect standing position and to keep breathing regularly.
5 Hold this posture as long as you can with absolute comfort. Do not hold your breath.
6 Slowly lower your arms, unlock your fingers and relax. You may shrug or rotate your shoulders a few times.
Fig. 12. Chest Expander
Variations
Practise the Chest Expander in any comfortable sitting position.
After completing the basic Chest Expander, slowly bend forwards, keeping your back straight and bending at your hip joints rather than at your waist. Keep your arms pushed upwards. Relax your neck. Hold the forwards bend briefly, then slowly and carefully return to your starting position. Relax. (Did you remember to keep breathing regularly?)
Standing
When we talk of poor posture, we generally mean slack posture. To correct this, there may be a tendency to cultivate posture that is excessively rigid, and this could result in tense muscles and restricted breathing.
In correct standing, the chin is in, the head up (crown uppermost), the back flattened and the pelvis straight (neutral position). The ribcage is full and round to permit adequate ventilation of the lungs and to prevent pressure on internal organs (Fig. 13).
Fig. 13. Good posture in standing
In a strained position (Fig. 14), the pelvis tilts forwards, thus increasing the spinal curves and strain on joints and ligaments. The chin is out and the ribs are down, causing pressure on internal organs. The lower back is arched (swayback). This is the most common type of poor posture in a standing position.
Fig. 14. Poor posture in standing
Even when standing correctly, there is tremendous pressure on lumbar discs – about 182 pounds per square inch on the third lumbar disc. Avoid standing, therefore, if you can sit, walk or squat. When you must stand, rest one foot on a convenient prop such as a bar rail, a box, a low stool or a shelf under a counter.
Walking
Stand tall to reduce stress. Relax your shoulders. Flatten your shoulderblades. Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles to help to tuck your bottom in. Distribute your body weight equally between your feet. Breathe regularly. Swing your arms effortlessly. Move your legs from your hip joints. Practise Diaphragmatic breathing (see chapter eight, here) for part of your walk.
When walking up stairs, try this: Plant the whole foot on the stair instead of walking on tiptoe. It will exercise your ankle and help to conserve energy as you reach the top of the stairs.
Lying
When you lie down, you relieve your spine of much of your body weight. This reduces compression on the discs. Experiment with lying positions to find those that are most restful for you.
Lie either on your back (supine) or on your side. Avoid lying on your abdomen (prone), as it places unnecessary strain on your lower spine. When you do have to lie prone, however, place a small pillow or cushion under your hips. It will prevent exaggeration of the spinal arch and reduce tension of the back muscles.
In the supine position, you can bend your knees and rest the soles of your feet flat on the surface on which you are lying. You may experiment with inserting a large cushion, pillow or bolster under the СКАЧАТЬ