Sciatica and Yoga
Happy Sunday everyone. I am in the St Kitts airport writing up this blog as promised to aid in reducing Sciatic Pain. Yes yes yes I promise I will also film me doing a yoga class tomorrow morning from St Thomas and put it on youtube for you to practice with me while I am away. So close those windows, turn off that fan and be ready for power yoga coming to you via youtube super soon.
In the mean time back to Sciatica and Yoga:
Sciatica is a pain in the leg due to irritation of the sciatic nerve Pain is often felt in the lower back, hip and leg. It frequently affects the piriformis muscle; much of this pain can be relieved through yoga. If practised correctly, yoga is extremely beneficial for sciatica. Note though, that despite what any teacher says while practicing yoga, it is most important to listen carefully to your body and not push beyond its limits. As soon as you reach a level of pain, back off immediately. Each person with sciatica will respond differently to some poses.
Top 7 poses for Sciatica
1. Supta Padangusthasana. Lie down on back, legs straight and together. Bend the right leg into the chest, place a yoga strap around the outside of the foot. Straighten the right leg, holding on to each end of the strap with both hands and straighten the leg. While keeping both legs straight and tight, pull down on the strap so that you start to pull the leg toward the nose. Then put the ends of the strap in the right hand and slowly drop the leg out to the right, so that it is perpendicular to the body. (It is important to keep the leg straight while doing this.) Breath and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat this on the left side. If you do not have a yoga strap you can use a belt. Whatever works.
2. Adho Mukha Shvanasana- Downward facing dog. Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms, index fingers parallel or slightly turned out, and turn your toes under.
Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins. Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis. Firm the outer arms and press the bases of the index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of the shoulders. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them and draw them toward the tailbone. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang. Adho Mukha Svanasana is one of the poses in the traditional Sun Salutation sequence. It's also an excellent yoga asana all on its own. Stay in this pose anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes. Then bend your knees to the floor with an exhalation and rest in Child's Pose.
3. Parsvokanasana- Side angle stretch. Stand with feet 3.5 apart. Turn the right toes out so that the foot is perpendicular to the left foot. Press down on the outside of the left foot and bend the right knee so that the thigh is parallel to the floor, and the knee is directly over the ankle (as in Warrior 2). Place the right elbow on the right knee and raise the left arm overhead. There should be a stretch all the way from your left fingertips down to the outside of your left foot. Breath and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the left.
4. Ardha Chandrasana. Half Moon Pose.
Perform Utthita Trikonasana to the right side, with your left hand resting on the left hip. Inhale, bend your right knee, and slide your left foot about 6 to 12 inches forward along the floor. At the same time, reach your right hand forward, beyond the little-toe side of the right foot, at least 12 inches.
Exhale, press your right hand and right heel firmly into the floor, and straighten your right leg, simultaneously lifting the left leg parallel (or a little above parallel) to the floor. Extend actively through the left heel to keep the raised leg strong. Be careful not to lock (and so hyperextend) the standing knee: make sure the kneecap is aligned straight forward and isn't turned inward.
Rotate your upper torso to the left, but keep the left hip moving slightly forward. Most beginners should keep the left hand on the left hip and the head in a neutral position, gazing forward.
Bear the body's weight mostly on the standing leg. Press the lower hand lightly to the floor, using it to intelligently regulate your balance. Lift the inner ankle of the standing foot strongly upward, as if drawing energy from the floor into the standing groin. Press the sacrum and scapulas firmly against the back torso, and lengthen the coccyx toward the raised heel.
Stay in this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then lower the raised leg to the floor with an exhalation, and return to Trikonasana (triangle pose). Then perform the pose to the left for the same length of time.
5. Setu Bhandasana. Bridge pose. Lying on your back. Bend knees and place feet on mat, hip distance apart. Lift the pelvis up into the air by rolling slightly onto each shoulder. Place a block in between the thighs and squeeze and lift the pelvis further up, pulling the sternum toward the chin. This technique really helps relieve the stress on the lower back and sciatic nerve. Breath and hold the pose for 20 seconds. Come down and repeat 2 more times.
6. Eka pada kapotasana - Pigeon pose. There are a number of ways to practice pigeon pose; this pose opens the hips and stretches the piriformis muscle (tightness or injury in the piriformis muscle can compress the sciatic nerve leading to sciatica.) The best way to open the hips if you are suffering from an injury is to do a complete modification of the pose. Lie on the back, bend left knee and place left foot on floor near buttocks. Cross the right on ankle on the right knee (or slightly below where the thigh meets the knee). Keep the right foot flexed and press the right knee away from you. You should feel an opening sensation in the outer hip or buttocks. If you want to come deeper into the pose, weave the right hand through the space that the right legs makes and the left arm around the left leg. Then clasp the hands behind the left thigh and pull the right leg toward your heart. Resisting the right knee away from the body and keeping the right foot flexed. Then repeat on the other side.
7. Savasana- Corpse pose. Best to put a towel or eye bean bay over your eyes in this pose to quiet your busy mind. In Savasana it's essential that the body be placed in a neutral position. Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and lean back onto your forearms. Lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and, with your hands, push the back of the pelvis toward the tailbone, then return the pelvis to the floor. Inhale and slowly extend the right leg, then the left, pushing through the heels. Release both legs, softening the groins, and see that the legs are angled evenly relative to the mid-line of the torso, and that the feet turn out equally. Narrow the front pelvis and soften (but don't flatten) the lower back.
With your hands lift the base of the skull away from the back of the neck and release the back of the neck down toward the tailbone. If you have any difficulty doing this, support the back of the head and neck on a folded blanket. Broaden the base of the skull too, and lift the crease of the neck diagonally into the center of the head. Make sure your ears are equidistant from your shoulders.
Reach your arms toward the ceiling, perpendicular to the floor. Rock slightly from side to side and broaden the back ribs and the shoulder blades away from the spine. Then release the arms to the floor, angled evenly relative to the mid-line of torso. Turn the arms outward and stretch them away from the space between the shoulder blades. Rest the backs of the hands on the floor as close as you comfortably can to the index finger knuckles. Make sure the shoulder blades are resting evenly on the floor. Imagine the lower tips of the shoulder blades are lifting diagonally into your back toward the top of the sternum. From here, spread the collarbones. In addition to quieting the physical body in Savasana, it's also necessary to pacify the sense organs. Soften the root of the tongue, the wings of the nose, the channels of the inner ears, and the skin of the forehead, especially around the bridge of the nose between the eyebrows. Let the eyes sink to the back of the head, then turn them downward to gaze at the heart. Release your brain to the back of the head. Stay in this pose for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of practice. To exit, first roll gently with an exhalation onto one side, preferably the right. Take 2 or 3 breaths. With another exhalation press your hands against the floor and lift your torso, dragging your head slowly after. The head should always come up last.
Poses to practice with caution
- Forward folds. To be honest I would say if you have sciatic issues NEVER forward bend. It is just to hard on you and too much risk for injuries. Forward folds can be aggravating to sciatica at first. Often stretching the back of the legs through a forward fold will just put additional pressure on the sciatic nerve. Basic forward-folds include, Paschimottanasana, Janu-Sirsana, Uttanasana. Practice these with caution, and make sure to pull back if you feel any pain in the back or legs. Note: Paschimottansana can be practiced safely if you put a bolster under the knees. This keeps the legs bent and can relieve some of the pressure from the sciatic nerve.
- Twists. Awesome for you but proceed SLOWLY please :) While twists can be very beneficial for sciatica, they can be difficult for some people. Often over-twisting pulls on the piriformis muscle which is directly impacted by the sciatic nerve. Until the spine builds greater flexibility, it is easy for the practitioner to move the twist into their sacrum which can impact the sciatic nerve.
Full list of poses recommended for Sciatica
Below is a complete list of poses that are beneficial for sciatica. For a full description of each pose and how to get into it, see to B.K.S Iyengar's book, Light on Yoga. (I have a copy at my house if you would like to borrow it please let me know - it is very helpful). Some of these poses may cause more injury if not done right, so be extremely careful and DO NOT hold ANY pose if it doesn't feel right. Every body is different and responds differently to each pose.All standing poses. This includes:
- Tadasana- Mountain pose
- Vrksasana- Tree pose*
- Trikonasana (Uttitha and Parvso)- Triangle pose (extended and revolved)
- Pasrvokanasa - Extended side angle stretch
- Virabadhrasana I- Warrior 1
- Virabadhrasana II- Warrior 2
- Virabadhrasana III- Warrior 3*
- Ardha Chandrasana- Half moon pose
- Uttitha Hasta Padahusthasana- translation is: hand on big toe with extended leg
- Parsvottansana- Intense leg stretch; (translation for this pose is extended side flank)
- Prasarita Padotanasana I, II Legs are spread and extended
- Sirsasana- head stand and all its variations
- Sarvangasana- shoulder stand
- Jatara Parivartanasana
- Supta Padangusthasana- Translation is hand holds big toe and drops to side while lying on back.
- Setu Bhandasan- bridge pose
- Paschimottanasana- Seated forward fold (legs together), (practice with caution)
- Urdhva Paschimottanasana- paschimottanasana lying on the back
- Salabhasana- Locust pose
- Dhanurasana- Bow pose
- Ustrasana- Camel pose
- Bhujangasana- King Cobra
- Urdhva Mukha Svanasana- Upward facing dog
- Adho Mukha Svanasana- Downward facing dog
- Urdhva mukha paschimotanasana
- Purvotanasana- Intense front body stretch
- Ardha Matseyendrasana
- Parighasana- translation is a beam or a bar used for closing a gate. This pose is practiced with one knee of the ground and the other leg out stretched. The body then bends sideways over the extended leg.
Hope all of this helps you amazing yoga students of who are needing to be mindful of Sciatica pain. Please please please do let me know if you have any questions. Have an amazing rest of your day and I will see you soon.
Enjoy! Namaste
love Tara
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