Daily Performing These Yoga Moves Keeps Back Flexibility for Aging Individuals, Claims Yoga Instructor
In the words of Joseph Pilates, "You're only as young as your spine is flexible." This renowned fitness pioneer emphasized the importance of spinal flexibility for overall health, and his principles continue to guide many today.
Practicing a few key spinal movements can help prevent or reduce stiffness, keep the vertebrae, discs, and surrounding tissue healthy, and even reduce the risk of arthritis. Here are four yoga poses and Pilates-related exercises that can help improve spinal flexibility:
- Child’s Pose – This gentle stretch helps release tension in the spine and hips, encouraging relaxation and elongation of the back.
- Spine Stretch Forward – This Pilates move focuses on lengthening the spine while engaging the abdominal muscles, different from a traditional yoga forward bend because it maintains an extended, long spine as you round forward.
- Pilates Roll Over – One of Joseph Pilates' original exercises, the Pilates Roll Over involves controlled leg and spine movement to stretch the back and hamstrings while strengthening the core and increasing spinal flexibility.
- Cat-Cow Pose (Spinal Movements in Yoga) – Though not explicitly Pilates, this yoga movement is highly recommended for spinal flexibility by practitioners embracing Joseph Pilates' philosophy, as it mobilizes the spine dynamically and harmonizes movement with breath.
Other essential spinal movements to practice include: - Flexion – Bending the spine forward - Extension – Arching the spine backward - Lateral Flexion – Side bending left and right - Rotation – Twisting the spine - Axial Extension – Lifting and lengthening the spine upward
One such exercise is the Cat-Cow. To perform this pose, start in a tabletop position, inhale and drop belly toward the floor, lengthen spine to lift head and chin, and exhale and tuck chin toward chest and round back upward.
Another recommended exercise is the Waist Rotating Pose (Kati Chakrasana). To perform this pose, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, raise arms to shoulder height, twist the body to the right, and allow left hand to reach right shoulder and right hand to wrap around lower back toward left buttock.
The Palm Tree Pose (Tiryak Tadasana) is a yoga posture that stretches the entire spine, helps to lengthen the muscles and ligaments, and develops balance.
When these movements are synchronized with the breath, they can have a calming and balancing effect. Regularly practicing these moves can help develop better breath and body awareness, leading to enhanced posture, spinal alignment, increased core strength and stability, relief from back pain, better mobility, and improved body awareness. So, take a moment to focus on your spine and reap the benefits of improved flexibility and overall health.
Engaging in the practice of yoga and Pilates exercises can foster wellness by enhancing spinal flexibility, as demonstrated by moves such as the Child’s Pose, Spine Stretch Forward, Pilates Roll Over, and Cat-Cow Pose. The scientific integration of these movements with breath can result in a calming effect, better posture and spinal alignment, increased core strength, relief from back pain, and improved mobility – all components of a health-and-wellness regimen. Additionally, exercises like the Waist Rotating Pose and Palm Tree Pose, which focus on spinal movements such as flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation, can further contribute to overall fitness and wellness by promoting a flexible and healthy spine.
