How cultivating core strength relieves back pain - Principle two to manage back pain
Aug 27, 2022
Principle Two: Cultivate your core strength
Your core is a complex series of muscles, extending far beyond your abs, including your diaphragm, pelvic floor, deep internal abdominals, and erector spinea. Many of these muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train. It is incorporated in almost every movement of the human body.
Your core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This type of training is doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements like deadlifts, overhead squats, and pushups, among many other functional closed chain exercises. By training this way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health.
We want you to be:
“Strong on the inside and soft on the outside” – Anusara Yoga Teaching
To better develop core strength, try these three simple exercises:
- Deep diaphragmatic and belly breathing – we recommend trying to expand your belly and ribs with your inhale and then as you exhale draw your lower belly back towards your spine. Try adding breath of fire into your life to build core strength; learn how here: Breath of fire tutorial
- Yoga – the yoga practice strengthens the stabilisation muscles of the body through the requirement to engage these slow-twitch muscles in extended holds of poses.
- Sit and stand tall – holding a proper posture when sitting and standing does wonders for your core strength. When sitting and standing ensure your feet are hip distant apart, then align your ankle with your hip bone, with your shoulder, with your ear so these points in the body are in one straight line.
If you want to learn more ways you can relieve back pain download our free ebook: Free eBook - Yoga to Transform Back Pain
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