Last week we looked at using your glutes or buttock muscles in backbends to help protect your lower back. Squeezing your glutes or squeezing your thighs towards each other helps protect your back because it keeps the lumbar or lower part of your spine in a more neutral and not arched position.
Using other muscles in your core – including your back and sides of your body, can help support and stablise your back as well.
We’ll look at cobra pose again, but this time focus on how you use your hands to activate muscles in your core.
Cobra pose
Lie down on your belly with your palms on the floor at your chest.
- Point your toes away behind you.
- Allow your legs to be apart – about hip width distance.
- Before you lift your chest – squeeze your buttocks.
- Spread your palms, slightly grip the floor with your fingertips and without your hands moving, try squeezing the heel of your hand in towards your chest.
- Then press your chest about 1/4 to 1/2 of the way from the floor. Then come back down and relax your muscles.
While the focus here is on your hands, you are actually using the muscles in your sides and back when you grip and squeeze with your hands. Try it again and notice how it feels in your body.
