Child-like poses to help back pain!

(bah-LAHS-anna)
bala = child

Step by Step

1.  Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips.  If you have trouble getting into this position, place a big pillow under your chest and keep your hips up high, like a cat stretch.

2.  Lay your hands on the floor alongside your body, palms up, and release the fronts of your shoulders toward the floor. An alternative would be to keep your arms lengthened out in front of you.  No matter where you put your arms, you are still getting an upper back stretch, allowing your shoulder blades to open up.

Don’t get discouraged if you are new to yoga and your instructor invites you to get into Child’s Pose whenever you can’t do another posture.  Sometimes, Child’s Pose can be a challenge and may not be as comfortable as it looks!  Tight hips, bad knees and a tight back can sometimes make this pose difficult to settle in. Don’t fear, there are always modifications and the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

Check out a pic I took of Chasey, Rascal #3 of the family:

  Doesn’t he look so peaceful?  Don’t let this picture fool you- just so you know, later in the day he decided to be like Captain America (aka Uncle Dick) and literally ripped this shirt down the middle, right off his body.

Point is, this position is called Child’s pose for a reason.  We often see babies, toddlers, kids and teenagers relaxing in this position.  Wonder why?

Not to get too technical on you, but our bodies naturally find this position for a reason.  It puts us in a posture that our bodies should already be in.  Child’s pose extends our upper back, opens up our hips and we breathe deeply allowing our skeletal structure and muscles to open up and expand.

Do you have lower or upper back pain?  This position can help alleviate your symptoms.  Most of us sit for a living- at a computer or desk, in meetings or driving in a car.  Then we come home and unwind- on the couch, surfing the net, watching tv or reading a book.  This seated position causes your spine to deviate from the S- curve it is suppose to be in.  Most people have more of a C-curve.  This places a lot of pressure on your lower back.  Sound familiar?

Do me a favor, look at Chasey and do what he’s doing.  If you are really tight, place a few big pillows under your chest.  Hang out in that position for 30 seconds to a few minutes, breathing deeply.  You can even drop your head and release your neck a bit.  Do this every day, especially after a long day of sitting.

If this motivates you, go to a yoga class.  All the different sequencing of postures allow your body to stretch and elongate, twist and rotate.   This is what your body needs in order to function properly.  The more you ignore that, the harder it will be for you to move in general!  Keep your body and your soul young- move, jump, play like a kid again.  Your body is made for movement, so move it!