8 YOGA POSTURES FOR CALMING PERSISTENT PAIN

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this blog series, we looked at the body’s systems and how they function, but how do they all work together to impact you down below?

Why Mindfulness Matters

Before you go running off to buy some expensive supplements that might just yield some expensive pee, consider working with your mind and body first. Essentially, that means your systems working together along with all the cells of your body.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction strategies like yoga have been shown to counter the negative effects of chronic stress.

For one, you’re taking time out of your busy day to quiet your body and mind. You’re also making a conscious decision to focus on movement with your breath, which is calming for your nervous system and influences the firing pattern of your brain neurons. In other words, you are creating neurological pathways that help you build emotional and physical resilience. 

A 2017 meta-analysis of 42 studies concluded that “interventions that included yoga asanas [postures] were associated with reduced evening cortisol, waking cortisol, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, high-frequency heart rate variability, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein, compared to active control.” (1)

Yoga as one movement-based modality has also been shown to help with reducing low back pain. (2)

What Can You Do To Calm Shit Down?

With this in mind, I have put together some of my favorite postures to help you get in tune with your body and your mind, and connect your breath to bodily calm.

Go ahead and take five. Explore these shapes. Modify them to meet your own body’s needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all. I encourage a playful exploration of what your body feels like for you.

Ease your way into these positions, and allow your mind and body to rest. Focus your attention on your breath wherever that may be in your own body and experience the sensations you feel without judgment, criticism, or aversion. There’s no right or wrong way to feel anything. As a bonus, I add in a few breathing tips and styles to enhance your experience.

So, with that, enjoy!

Standing Supported Straddle Pose: In this restorative variation of the standing straddle, feel free to use as many bolsters or pillows as you need to allow your head to rest below your heart. This posture is good for stretching the spinal cord, nourishing the nerves of the back, buttocks and thighs, providing breathing space for your vertebrae, and giving you a good stretch for the groin and back of the legs.

Seated Straddle Supported Forward Fold Pose: A relaxing posture that helps stretch the inner thighs and back of the thighs, creates space in the spinal column, and stretches the nerves in the back of the legs, buttocks and inner groin. Add some yumminess by breathing into your back and focus on the sensations you feel as you breathe. What do you notice about your spine’s movements? What about your pelvic diaphragm? Be curious as you explore.

Supported Bridge Pose: This delicious restorative posture elongates the front of your body letting the light in. A great stretch for the front of your chest, abdomen and hips. For an added mobilization of the soft tissue (including nerves) in the front of the thighs, straighten your legs out. This posture is also useful for pelvic congestion and feelings of tension in the front of the abdomen. Be mindful of how your body feels in this shape and adjust as needed. Do whatever you need to do to help your body feel at ease and completely supported. Remember to add a couple of deeper breaths here to enhance your experience. 

Couple with a Three-Part Breathing Exercise: Exhale all your air. Inhale into your lower belly, the side of your ribs and finally your collar bones (as if you were filling a glass from the bottom up). Once you get to the top, linger on the inhale for a few counts comfortably then exhale from your collarbones, then from your ribs and finally out of your lower belly (as if you were emptying the glass from top down). Linger on the exhale for a few counts comfortably. Take a few natural breaths and repeat. Try this for five breath cycles.

Seated Spinal Twist: This pose supports spinal rotation, rib cage and chest expansion, and gives a good outer hip stretch. To feel more grounded in your sitz bones, sit on a folded blanket as this will take up the slack on any tension that you may feel in the back of the thighs. Stretch one leg out straight and bend one knee up. For a deeper hip stretch, cross the bent knee over the straightened leg. Inhale as you lengthen your spine up towards the sky, exhale then twist to the opposite side of the straightened leg. With every inhale, feel your spine and crown of the head lengthen. As you exhale, gently twist deeper. If it feels right for your body, go ahead and turn your head to look over your back shoulder. Breathe here for a couple of breaths and then repeat on the other side.

Gate Pose: Start tall-kneeling and stretch one leg straight out to the side. If it is more comfortable for you, use a pillow or a cushion under your knee. Inhale and reach both arms up towards the ceiling, lengthening your rib cage away from your hips. As you exhale, slide one arm down the side of the extended leg and reach the top arm up towards the sky. Be playful in this shape by exploring different angles (i.e. back bend, rotation of torso). Feel the lengthening and expansion of the side of your torso from the armpit to the hips. Ease into this shape for a few breaths. Repeat on the other side. This is a great stretch for the nerves and other soft tissue in your abdomen, inner groin, arms, and hips. Deeper breathing enhances the stretching of the nerves especially in the abdomen and between the ribs.

Supported Child’s Pose: This restorative shape reminds me of snuggling my favorite pillow. You can keep your knees wide or bring them together. You can do this pose with or without a bolster or pillows. I encourage you to explore with both options to find the sweet spot for your body. This shape stretches all the yummy structures in between your sitz bones. Explore breathing into your pelvis and notice what you feel. You may find it easier to bring awareness to your pelvic muscles in this posture.

‘Breathing into your Pelvis’: Note that air isn’t actually traveling down into your pelvis. As you take a deep breath in and your lungs fill with air, your breathing muscle, the diaphragm, flattens while it contracts, which naturally massages your organs and tissues. These will move slightly downward to make space for lung expansion. You will feel this natural movement and transference of pressure in the pelvic diaphragm, which will also expand down to accommodate this shift in pressure, sorta like a trampoline. To learn more about the diaphragm-pelvic connection, watch this video.

Reclining Bound Angle Pose: Another restorative posture that helps to ease tension in the pelvis and inner thighs. Scoot your tush up against a wall with the soles of your feet touching and supported by the wall. Let your knees fall out to the side. Mindfully breathe into your pelvis. Again, notice the sensations of your belly and pelvic muscles. What do you feel? 

Hug Knees Pose: This restorative posture is all about giving yourself a nice big hug! Lie on your back with your arms and legs out straight. Take a comfortable breath in, then as you breathe out pull your knees to your chest and give them a gentle squeeze. (No death grip here. I said gentle, ha!) Continue breathing and allow your sitz bones and everything in between to soften and melt. Let your body feel heavy and grounded. Shoulders, head and neck let go with gravity. Stay here for several breaths. Play with massaging your back by rocking side to side. This motion is soothing for your nervous system. Maintain the connection with your breath and movement.

I would love to see your take on these postures and what other postures feel good to you!

Tag @dr.susieg in any posts or stories on Instagram to share your new practice with me.

References

(1)  Pascoe, M., Thompson, D., & Ski, C. (2017). Yoga, mindfulness-based stress reduction and stress-related physiological measures: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 86, 152-168. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.08.008

(2) Cramer, H., Lauche, R., Haller, H., & Dobos, G. (2013). A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Yoga for Low Back Pain. The Clinical Journal Of Pain, 29(5), 450-460. doi:10.1097/ajp.0b013e31825e1492

This information is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a healthcare professional with any questions you may have regarding treatment, medications/supplements, or any medical diagnoses. This information is intended for educational purposes only and is in no way to substitute the advice of a licensed healthcare professional.