7 yoga poses to help relieve back pain and insomnia
Yoga movements help increase blood circulation, treat lung pain, back pain, headaches and help you sleep better.
Plow pose
This pose helps stretch the entire body, improves spinal flexibility, and effectively reduces back pain.
Lie flat with your arms straight at your sides and palms facing down. Gently lift your legs up to a 90-degree angle off the floor. Place your elbows on the floor, your hands supporting your hips, and lift them up. Bring your legs over your head, pressing your toes into the floor, and use your hands to support your back. Hold for 30-60 seconds, then return to the starting position.
Wheel Pose
The wheel pose helps increase blood circulation, stretch the abdominal and neck muscles, promote blood flow to the brain, and relieve headaches.
Lie on your back, bend your knees and bring your feet close to your buttocks, with your feet hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your shoulders, with your fingertips pointing toward your shoulders. Exhale and inhale, simultaneously lifting your buttocks, waist, middle and lower back off the floor. Then exhale. While inhaling, use your hands to support and push your shoulders up. Lift your buttocks, waist and entire back until your arms are straight, your elbows are straight and your legs are straight. Breathe normally in the final position.
Half Cobra Grasshopper Pose
This pose helps stretch the abdomen, thighs, spine, and improves respiratory function.
Lie face down on the floor with your legs hip-width apart, arms bent toward your armpits, and hands facing down. Slowly lower your upper body down while raising your legs, feet touching. Then lower your feet and push yourself up slowly until your arms are straight. Hold for a few breaths.
Full Core Stretching
This pose also helps improve lung function, stretching the chest, abdomen and thighs.
Lie face down on the mat and stretch your legs as far as possible. Place your forearms on the floor, lift your body up, and slowly straighten your arms.
Dolphin Pose
Dolphin pose helps strengthen the spine, regulate breathing, and help you sleep better.
Kneel on your heels, extend your arms straight out in front of you, perpendicular to your body, one hand grasping the elbow of the other. Bend forward, lowering your elbow to a fixed point on the floor. Press your toes into the floor, lift your hips, shoulders low, buttocks high, keep your knees slightly bent, and lift your heels off the floor.
Folds
This pose helps improve spinal function, increase blood flow to the brain, and reduce back pain and headaches.
Stand up straight, shoulders relaxed, inhale and stretch both arms above your head, palms facing each other. Stretch your entire body towards the ceiling, keeping your shoulders relaxed. Exhale and bend forward from your thighs, keeping the soles of your feet firmly pressed into the floor. Let your head and neck hang down towards the floor and push your body up towards the ceiling to stretch your spine. Place your palms on the floor on either side of your feet, while stretching the backs of your legs and pressing your feet into the floor. Your thighs should be directly above your knees and you should not be flexing your knees. Imagine your body stretching towards the floor with each breath. Hold for 3-4 breaths. Inhale and bend both knees and slowly rise to a standing position, pressing both soles of your feet evenly into the floor, returning to a standing position.
Legs-up-the-Wall Pose
This pose should be done at the end of your workout or before going to bed as it helps relieve stress, relaxes the whole body, and promotes deep sleep.
Lie on your back with your feet up against the wall for support, lifting your legs. Then lift your pelvis as high as you want.