One of the most frequent health disorders is back pain. Many people commonly experience discomfort in their lower back. The pain might be caused by a sprain sustained when working in the yard or doing housework. Your back can also hurt from an old sports injury or a persistent condition like arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. Yoga handstands can help alleviate back pain. This is made possible by providing what the lumbar region craves most—mobility, stability, and adaptability.
What Is a Yoga Handstand?
A handstand is an advanced yoga inversion that requires you to flip, stand, and balance your body on your hands instead of your feet. Holding this pose is believed to boost your arm, shoulder, core, and back strength. It can also potentially relieve back pain by stretching and strengthening back muscles. It increases circulation in the lumbar region.
Doing a perfect handstand always seems to be a challenge to many. It requires practice, caution, and patience to perfect. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to do a yoga handstand:
- Start with a downward-facing dog. Your hands should be shoulder-width apart.
- Ensure your palms are flat on the ground and your fingers are extended forward.
- Taking a deep breath, slowly lift one leg in the air, followed by the other, until you are in a handstand position. If this pose is not attainable yet, try balancing against a wall until you are comfortable going upside down.
- Bring your legs together once you are stable. Make sure that your feet are flexed and pointing upwards.
- Stay in that position as long as you can hold it.
There are several types of yoga handstands which include:
- A front split
- A stag split
- A hollow back
- A handstand push-up
How Does Handstand Yoga Help to Relieve Lower Back Pain?
Practicing this pose helps relieve back pain by reducing the weight load on the spine. The different types of handstands are the front split, stag split, hollow back, and one-handed handstand. Let’s have a look at several ways how these incredible yoga handstands work to eliminate back pain:
Enhances Lower Back Posture
The vertebrae are designed to support the body’s weight and provide the lumbar region with the required stability. Through the stability of the sacrum, weight is safely transferred to the pelvic region. Poor posture misaligns the anatomic structure of the lumbar. This will alter the smooth process of transferring weight to the pelvic region. This will eventually cause distress and pain to the lower back.
Handstand yoga kicks in to help by strengthening your core (muscles around your lower back). These muscles keep your spine in position, preventing back pain while carrying or lifting heavy objects.
Increases Mobility
Mobility is the ability to move freely with no pain. Individuals who have suffered from back pain may attest that they fear movement as they think it might bring back pain episodes. The lower back plays a crucial role in movement through flexion and extension, bending on both sides, and body rotation.
Our modern-day lifestyle exposes us to bad posture, especially at a desk job with minimal movement, which causes misalignment of the vertebrae. This will hinder our ability to move freely. Doing handstands will help to reduce the dysfunction of the lumbar caused by poor posture. It increases the spaces between the vertebrae, enhancing flexibility.
Improves Ability to Carry Weight
Handstands can help you to adjust to any sudden changes. Muscle activity increases the spine’s stability in case of a sudden change in weight or load. Whether you are carrying heavy groceries in from a store or picking up your toddler, the ability to carry a certain amount of weight in everyday life is necessary.
Lower back pain or spine injury can occur when there is a sudden application of external force on the lumbar region. Handstands will build your trunk muscles to safely withstand a sudden increase in weight load without hurting your spine.
Help Relieve Your Lower Back Pain Using a Yoga Handstand
A yoga handstand is a perfect exercise to help relieve back pain. It works on your body imbalances and strengthens your muscles, improving spine flexibility. If you suffer from chronic back pain, try this pose to see if it helps to relieve the discomfort.
