As you practice yoga for lower back pain relief you might realize that many postures, such as Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose, are hard to do when you are first starting out. If you are practicing to help relieve chronic lower back pain like I was when I first started, the first few months are going to test your limits. It is crucial that you continue to practice, even when you want to give up, if you want to find relief from your lower back pain.
What is Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose?
Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose
Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose might look like a fairly simple posture to perform but can quickly make you aware of how poor your body’s balance and alignment have gotten. Since Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose requires you to use your balance, if your core muscles have weakened due to inactivity then it might be difficult for you to stay balanced or hold your arms over your head while in the pose.
It is important that, no matter how many times you might fall out of the pose, that you keep putting your body back into the posture. Eventually your muscles will start to get used to the positions you are putting it in and strengthen your muscles and joints in the process. As you get stronger your balance will improve and you will be able to use poses like Lunging Half Crescent Moon pose to target specific areas in your body that are tight or causing pain.
How to Perform Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose
(1) Start in a standing position with your knees on the ground. Your legs should be about hip distance apart and your feet should be directly behind you and parallel with your body.
(2) Place your hands on your hips and bring your left leg in front of you with your foot flat on the ground and your knee at a 90 degree angle. From this position you want to work your right hip up and in-line with your left hip. You might not be able to get your hips in-line at first, but go to your edge each time and they will eventually loosen up.
(3) While in this kneeling position, place your hands on your left thigh and press your leg forward while slightly rotating your right hip forward and left hip back. You can also take a slight bend in your back while in this position.
(4) Release your body back to center and place your hands back on your hips.
(5) Slowly start to lift your arms up over your hands while keeping your gaze straight out in front of your and your back should be straight. Work to straight the arms without lifting your shoulders up near your ears. Your shoulder blades should be working to move towards each other on your upper back without lifting out of the shoulder sockets.
(6) At this point you are at the full expression of Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose so you want to focus on flexing your core while lifting your lower belly up and in. This will release tension in your lower back while strengthening the muscles in your core. Remember, you can always modify this pose with a block or a chair in order to maintain your balance if needed.
(7) If you feel healthy and want to take this pose further, start to lift your gaze up towards the sky without lifting your shoulders and bring your palms together over your head. You can also take a slight backbend, focusing on lifting your chest up and back without sinking into your lower back.
Extended version of Lunging Crescent Moon Pose
(8) Hold your full extension of Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose for 5 to 10 breaths or however long you need. Release back to your knees and switch to your other side.
Benefits of Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose
- Releases tension in the lower back
- Increases spinal alignment and flexibility
- Stretches quadriceps muscles
- Stretches hip and glute muscles
- Strengthens the knee joints
- Strengthens muscles in the shoulders and arms
Practice Yoga for Lower Back Pain Relief
Yoga for Lower Back Pain Relief
The reason many people quit yoga after only practicing a few times is because the positions that yoga puts you in are designed to bring strength and balance throughout your entire body. And when I say throughout your entire body that means if you suffer from any sort of physical or mental condition, yoga will help correct it overtime.
The reason yoga has so many health benefits and helps heal chronic lower back conditions like sciatica is because it forces you to align your body the way it was meant to be aligned otherwise you will fall out of a pose or cause further damage to your body. If your body is currently out of alignment, whether you have a herniated disc in your lower lumbar vertebrae like I did or a condition like scoliosis, working your body into positions that shift it into alignment might seem like you’re in more pain than before.
I can assure you from experience that the pain you are feeling at first is only temporary. Since your body has completely changed its alignment in order to compensate for whatever chronic condition you might have, as you begin to adjust your alignment during your yoga practice and build strength in the muscles to keep your body aligned you will eventually start to feel relief.
Starting to practice postures like Lunging Half Crescent Moon Pose is going to start loosening your muscles and building strength in your lower back. As long as you stick with it you will get stronger and you will find relief from your lower back pain.
What are you going to do today to start finding relief from your lower back pain?
Stick With It!
-Nate
