Yoga as Medicine

What's a good pose for....?

As a yoga teacher, I am often pulled aside before or after class by someone asking the above question.  The most common culprits?  Back pain, stress and headaches. 

Here are my top three yoga "prescriptions".

Child's Pose
Good for: Depression, anxiety, upper and lower back pain, digestion, headache and insomnia.

-Physical Benefits
  Depending on position, this pose is a great stretch for either the lumbar spine       and sacrum, or the upper back and shoulders.  It also offers a gentle stretch to   the hips, thighs and ankles.  

-Mental Benefits
  By pressing your forehead into your mat, arms or hands, you are signalling your   nervous system to quiet down. This is a great way to start to conquer               anxiety, depression and insomnia.  Slow, deep breathing in this pose offers           steadiness and grounding.

-Why I Love Child's Pose
 This pose is a forward fold, making it a wonderful way to bring your focus    inward.  It takes time to learn mindfulness, and this is one of the best postures I    know to help with that.  It is also great because of the countless ways you can    modify, making it accessible to almost everyone.  (i.e. Sitting at a table with your    head resting on your hands is a nice modification for people with knee issues)

Traditional Child's Pose for low back stretch and relief

Wide-Legged Child's Pose with upper back and shoulder stretch

Modified Child's Pose for those with tight hips, ankles or feet.

Modified Child's Pose for those with knee issues

​Legs Up The Wall Pose
Good For: Fatigue, stress, blood pressure, digestion, and back pain

-Physical Benefits
  By reversing gravity, tired feet and legs get a break and varicose veins rejoice!  Blood from lifted legs pool in the hips and abdomen, which is so nurturing for internal organs. When you release out of the pose, it creates a great flush for your digestive system (pun always intended :) )
Make sure to be slow getting up.

-Mental Benefits
  Pressing  your head, back and shoulders into the mat is very grounding, making this pose a wonderful way find some steadiness.  Slow, deep breathing through your nose adds to the stress-relieving qualities

-Why I love this pose
  You can do it in bed while watching TV   :)  

PS...this is my go-to pose when I have an occasional headache.  I put a warm washcloth over my eyes and lie there until I feel better 

​Pigeon Pose
Good For-Low back pain, sciatic pain, hip flexibility, digestion

Pigeon pose can come in handy just about anywhere....this is me at a rest stop stretching tight hips during a road trip. :)

A few ladies from Chair Yoga for Healing demonstrate some of the many variations of pigeon pose. If seated in a chair, you can cross at the ankle, the knee, or bring ankle to opposite knee.

-Physical Benefits
Hips! Back! Sciatic!  When you take the time to improve hip flexibility, everything else in your body starts to follow.  Sciatic nerve inflammation is one of the most common causes of low back pain, and any version of pigeon will help relieve it.  The more often you do this pose, the more benefit you will see.*

-Mental Benefits
No matter which variation you choose, pigeon pose is very grounding, which is soothing to the nervous system.  

-Why I love this pose
The modifications! Like child's pose, pigeon can be modified to fit almost every body.  It's also very easy to adjust the level of intensity according to how you feel that day.

*Changing your body is a process that requires patience and attention to detail.  :)  All of these poses can be held as long and as often as you like.

Smile :) Someone cares about you