10 Minute Yoga Workout for your Back

Aaaaahhhh...it's the end of a long day, and your back is creaking like a rusty door hinge. It's no wonder we describe hard work as "backbreaking"...in the course of the day we use our back more than any other muscle group. And we pay for it in back pain! Fortunately, the stronger our back muscles are, the greater workload they can withstand without getting sore and achy. But strengthening the muscles of the back can, even more importantly, benefit us by improving our posture, and can even help prevent osteoporosis. The following is a quick and easy 10 minute yoga routine to help strengthen those all important back muscles.

The Table

Begin on the floor, on all fours, as you would to begin the cat pose. Make sure you are facing down, and your head is in line with your spine. Slowly lift one arm up and forward, so that it is parallel to your back. While holding the arm out, lift your left leg, and extend it behind you, again, parallel to your back. Imagine you are making a table top with your body, and you want everything straight and in alignment. Balance yourself and hold the pose as long as you are comfortably able. Repeat with the left arm and the right leg. Repeat several times. This exercise works the erector spinae muscles, as well as the latissimus dorsi, which run parallel to the spinal cord.

The Plank

Begin lying face down on the floor. Rest your hands beneath your collar bone. Bring your toes up under you, and press with your hands as if you are doing a push up. Again, face down, and keep your head in alignment with your spine. Your goal is to make your body as straight as a board. Hold this pose for as long as you are able, and repeat several times. This pose works the latissimus dorsi, and also the trapezius muscles, which are located in your upper back.

The Flying Pose

Once again, begin by lying on your stomach, face down. Your feet should be together, and your arms should be extended out to the sides, perpendicular to the body, palms down. Contracting the muscles of the lower back, lift your chest, head, and arms up off the ground, as if you were an airplane. At the same time, lift your legs off the ground, toes pointed. This is an intermediate level exercise. If you are a beginner, an easier variation would be to begin by lifting only your upper body up off the ground first, then lowering it before you lift the legs. By practicing it one at a time you can build strength in the erector spinae muscles and accross the entire lumbar region of the back. Hold each pose for as long as you are able, and repeat several times.

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