Yep, I’m still focused on different ways to relieve back pain – who knew there were so many options!
Yoga is great for moving your body in ways that you often don’t – particularly twisting and bending sideways – both of which can help with back pain.
So here’s another stretch for your side body:
- Start in a lunge with the right foot in front.
- Bring your back left heel down to the floor so your foot is flat and move your left foot out a little left.
- Slide your right hand up your right shin.
- Start to push your left leg towards straight – but don’t lock or hyper-extend your knee. Push your front toes forward and down.
- Bring your left hand to your hip or up to the ceiling if ok for your shoulder.
- Here’s the side stretch – push down through your left heel, let your left hip roll down towards the ground, then try to lift the bottom left side of your rib cage away from your left hip when you breath.
- To find this stretch in your side, you need a long straight spine. If you have tight hips you may find it hard to reach your hand all the way down your shin. If your hips are tight and you reach your right hand too low, you will bend at the hips and round your lower back. When you do this, you lose any benefit in the stretch and risk injuring your back.
- It’s easy to fix, just move your right hand higher up your right leg until you feel a more comfortable and natural spine. The healthy alignment of your spine controls where your right hand goes.
Stretching the side of your body – take 2
