How Youthful do Your Back and Spine Really Feel?

“If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old; if it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” ~Joseph Pilates

According to Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates exercise method which focuses on core strength, “A man is only as young as his spinal column.” There is some truth to this. Nothing makes you feel old like when your back starts to hurt.

Spinal stiffness from sitting all day is, sadly, the norm, rather than the exception. If you don’t work on your spinal extension and flexibility, you will end up in pain, as well as look like a candy cane.

Years ago, I wrote a blog post called “Mom Was Right, You Should Stand Up Straight!” In it I detail why posture matters and what you can do to relieve posture related neck and back pain. The secret: Backward Bending, aka: Spinal Extension.

Spinal movements

The spine moves in 4 directions: Flexion (rounding forward), Extension (arching backward), Lateral Flexion (side bending) and Rotation (twisting). Most of the movement of the spine should occur in the Thoracic spine, the 12 vertebrae that each have a rib attached to it.

Spinal Extension, or backward bending strengthens the muscles along the spine, the Erector Spinae group, and help you stand upright. When you slouch, these muscles get stretched. This is fine for a little while, but when you are stretching these muscles over a long period of time, they weaken and become painful. Practicing yoga poses that encourage safe Spinal Extension will strengthen these muscles and relieve the pain.

Cobra pose/Bhujangasana

This pose creates spinal extension with the floor as a reference point. I love this pose because it lengthens the spine and opens the chest, all while strengthening the glutes, pelvic floor, lower abdominals, and spinal muscles.

How to practice Cobra pose:

1. Lie on your mat face down. Place your palms on the floor next to your lower ribs; your wrists should be under your elbows (not your shoulders). Slide your shoulder blades toward your waist.
2. Press downward through the tops of your feet (toes pointed) so that your kneecaps hover off the floor. This will engage your quads. Lift through the pelvic floor and lower abdominals, and engage your glutes.
3. As you inhale, without using your arms, lengthen your spine forward and lift your chest off the floor. Use the muscles along the spine to lift up. Be sure to keep your head in line with your spine. Rather than aiming the chin forward, reach forward through the back of your throat. Your gaze should be downward a bit in front of you.
4. Press the palms backward and downward into the floor and pull the ribcage forward, away from your pelvis. This creates length in the lower back, and encourages backbending in the thoracic spine.
5. Hold 3-5 breaths, then slowly lower back to the floor turning your head to one side. Repeat Cobra pose, then lower to the floor turning your head to the other side.

Locust Pose/Salabhasana

This pose has all the benefits of Cobra, but everything lifts off the floor, so increases the challenge to the lower body. The only body part touching the floor is the pelvis. This pose encourages the entire back of the body to work, and is a wonderful strengthening pose. There are multiple variations for the arms; choose the one that suits you best.

How to practice Locust pose

1. Lie face down on your mat. Have your arms alongside your body, palms facing the ceiling. Slide the shoulder blades toward your waist, then squeeze them together, lifting the shoulder joints off the floor. This activates the Rhomboids between the shoulder blades and can undo the effects of slouching.
2. Inhale to lengthen the spine forward and lift the chest, lengthen forward through the top of the head. Exhale to engage the glutes and lift the legs off the floor. Be sure to activate the pelvic floor and lower abdominals. Quads and inner thighs should also be working. Feet can be parallel and hip distance apart or touching.
3. You can leave the hands on the floor or lift them off the floor, palms can face the ceiling, they can face toward your thighs, or you can interlace the fingers behind you, making one fist with your two hands (yoga mudra). Try not to let the wrists pop apart, try to press the palms together. If your hands don’t touch, you can hold a strap or towel between your hands and walk them toward each other, creating a shoulder/chest stretch.
4. Hold Locust pose for 3-5 breaths, then lower to the floor and turn your head to one side. Repeat. If you take yoga mudra with your hands, the second time you lift up, shift all the fingers over by one so that you are interlacing the fingers with the other fingers on top (see video below). I find it helpful to notice which thumb is on top, the when I switch, make sure the other thumb is on top. Hold 3-5 breaths, then lower to the floor, turning your head to the other side.

General tips

• When done correctly, back bending poses are healthy for the spine and promote strength, mobility, and breath. However, like with any other physical activity, we humans are master compensators. If you lack mobility in the thoracic spine, chances are you will try to find it somewhere else, like the cervical spine (neck) or lumbar spine (lower back).
• Do the best you can with the body that you have. Never force a yoga pose, try to find the balance between strength and ease (Sthira and Sukha). Use just enough effort to create the pose and engage the muscles, but don’t clench or make the muscles rigid.
• Let your breath flow smoothly and easily through your nose, both in and out. A smooth even breath (Ujjayi is you know it), will keep your mind present, focused, and calm.
• Pull forward to lengthen into a backbend, don’t push backward to shorten the lower back. Especially with Cobra, having the hands under the shoulders encourages the chest lifting by pressing backward toward your hips. This will lead to pain. Having the hands under the elbows creates space to move your ribcage forward, away from your pelvis. This will feel better in your lower back and create strength rather than stress.
• The elbows should stay bent in Cobra. If the arms are straight, chances are your are pushing into your lower back. Most of the strength in this pose comes from the spinal muscles, NOT from the arms. The arms simply add a bit of icing to the cake in the form of length.
• In both poses, feel the top of the head and the toes reaching in opposite directions. The more the chest lifts, the further forward your gaze can go. If you are looking straight forward, it is because you have a lot of mobility in your thoracic spine. If you don’t, your eyes will aim downward in front of you.

Coming in December:

End of Year Yoga Launch is an online event to help you keep up your yoga practice when the holidays get hectic! These short classes are easy to fit into your busy schedule and can be taken live or on demand! Click the button below for more information!