Yoga to Take Care of Sore Muscles – Here are a Few Ways to Relieve Pain With the Help of Yogasana

All of us have dealt with sore muscles at some point in our lives. It could be because of an intense workout or a weird way we slept one night, but it is still something that bothers us massively. And, the usual route we take to deal with the pain is use painkillers or use ointments as external application. However, these are just temporary solutions. For a longer term effect physical exercise is necessary and none is better than Yoga.

Why Yoga?

Yoga is a powerful practice that helps us stay active, manage stress, and also help with pain management. Yoga helps because of its strong focus on breathing, which energizes and relaxes our nervous system, here are some examples of how. Secondly, we move in so many different ways and planes of motion in a yoga class that it works like a complete reset for our posture. And a good posture means less pain. That’s why a wholesome yoga practice with a wide variety of poses and mindful breathing helps reduce chronic pain and stiffness in muscles or joints.

Here are several strengthening and stretching postures that are particularly helpful in managing pain in the most common areas of the body.

Asanas:

So, here we have a few asanas that will certainly help you take care of your back pain and say goodbye to it for good:

1. Dwipada Marajriasana (Bird Dog Balance)

Our main focus with this asana is, spine and shoulders. Mainly for anyone who has trouble with their posture and is troubled by a sore back and tensed shoulders.

• Start in a tabletop position and extend your right leg back, lifting it off the ground in line with the hips.
• Stay here, else if comfortable, raise your left hand out as well, so you’re balancing on two limbs.
• Pull the navel towards the spine so your core is engaged and you’re not sinking at the lower back.
• Hold for 5 to 9 breaths and then switch sides.

Duration – 5 to 10 minutes (Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Beginner
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 | Max. 10

2. Ardha Pincha Mayurasana (Dolphin Pose)

The main focus for this asana is, to relax the shoulders. Mainly for people who have to deal with tensed shoulders and chronic shoulder pain.

• Start in a forearm plank with fingers interlocked and start walking your feet towards the hands.
• Stop once you feel you’ve reached your maximum and hold the position there.
• If the heels are raised, see if you can rest them on the ground, which will increase the stretch in the hamstrings.
• It’s alright if that doesn’t feel comfortable.
• The elbows may tend to splay out; keep hugging them towards each other, so they stay shoulder-width apart.
• Hold for 5 to 9 breaths and rest in child pose.

Duration – 7 to 12 Minutes.
Difficulty Level – Beginner.
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 | Max. 10

3. Ardha Shalabhasana (Half Locust Pose)

The main focus of this asana are the glutes and hamstring muscles in your body. This is a common area of tension for athletes and physically active individuals. Strengthening your hamstring prevents any severe injuries in that area, which is crucial for your well-being.

• Start in a prone position with your arms crossed in front of you. Let your forehead rest on your forearm and point the legs back.
• Pull the navel in strong and lift one leg off the ground as high as comfortable.
• Do not tilt the body to one side to lift the leg.
• Do this slowly without using speed or momentum.
• Hold for 3 to 5 breaths and switch sides, You can repeat this 5 to 10 times.
• It can help relieve lower back and knee pain.

Duration – 5 to 10 minutes (Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Beginner
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 | Max. 10

4. Supta Kapotasana (Supine Pigeon Pose)

The main focus here is to again, focus on your glutes and your lower back. But, this particular asana isn’t just for athletes and physically active people but even for people suffering from chronic lower back pain. It helps not just in relieving the pain but also in, strengthening your back and improving your posture thereby preventing any future back issues.

• Start in a supine position with knees bent.
• Lift your right ankle and place it above your left knee.
• Then bring the left knee to the chest by pulling gently with your hands.
• If comfortable, use your right elbow to get the right shin parallel to the ground.
• Hold for 5 to 10 breaths and repeat on the other side.

Duration – 5-10 minutes (Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Intermediate
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 / Max. 10

5. Nikunjasana (Extended Child Pose)

The main focus of this asana, is on your shoulders and upper back. This asana helps to stretch and exercise areas in your body that normally don’t get as much exercise. Your upper back lies dormant for most of your life and getting a nice stretch there can be crucial but often difficult.

• Start in the tabletop position and walk your hands forward till your forehead reaches the ground.
• Let the spine be neutral but press the hands into the ground.
• Maintain the hips above the knees.
• You can also rest your forehead on a pillow or a block.
• Hold for 5 to 9 breaths.

Duration – 5-10 minutes (Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Beginner
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 / Max. 10

6. Pranayama

Pranayama is a very common exercise that helps in improving not just your breathing levels and your lung capacity but also any chronic pain you feel. As, it causes oxygen levels to rise throughout your body and make it reach every nook and cranny of your body, helping you heal much faster.

To get the best results from your yoga practice, you must include pranayama. Spend a minimum of 3 mins practicing either of these three techniques:

• Equal Breathing (same length of inhalation and exhalation).
• Double Breathing (exhalation is double the length of inhalation).
• Alternate nostril breathing (Anuloma-Viloma).

Duration – 15 -20 minutes(Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Beginner
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 / Max. 10

7. Twisted Figure Four

The main focus here is to get a good stretch going in your lower back and hamstring region. It is commonly known that the hamstring region is a very important part of our body and one that requires regular attention otherwise it becomes very tender and prone to injury.

• Lie on your back and bend knees with your feet on ground. Place right ankle on left knee, then allow both legs to fall over to your left.
• Rest the sole of your right foot on the ground as your right knee points up toward the ceiling or away from your head.
• If this is too difficult, move the legs down a few inches away from your head.
• This stretch may be mild or more obvious.
• Either way, try to relax to allow the area to adapt to the position.
• Hold 1 minute, then repeat on other side.

Duration – 5-10 minutes (Depends on how intense the pain is)
Difficulty Level – Intermediate
Number of Breaths – Min. 5 / Max. 10

Conclusion:

In conclusion, we would like to say that, Yoga is one of the most effective ways to deal with pain relief. And, if you are someone who is suffering from chronic pain, then Yoga is definitely the way to go, because Yoga is more than just easing stress and centering your mind, it also has very real effects on your body as well in a physical sense.

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