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Relieve tension from the shoulders, neck, lower back, improve posture, increase efficiency and stress resistance … These simple exercises, based on the principles of Patanjali yoga, will take no more than 5-10 minutes a day, but will bring tangible benefits to our long-suffering back.
It’s good to wake up in the morning, straighten your shoulders in the middle of a hard day, or relieve tension in the evening – exercises for the spine can improve not only well-being, but also the internal state.
For those who spent years at school, then on the university bench, and now get up from the computer mainly to drive a car and vice versa, this simple word – “back” – causes a whole range of complex sensations. To relax a tense neck and shoulders, unload the lower back, improve posture, feel a surge of strength and lightness in the whole body – the author of therapeutic courses for the spine and joints, Tatyana Goldman, offers some very simple and effective exercises developed on the basis of one of the oldest areas of yoga – Patanjali yoga.
“They can be done where and when it suits you,” she explains. – This short therapeutic complex can take only 5-10 minutes, and it does not require a mat or special clothing – just a wall and some free time. The result depends only on how well you work out each form. It is better to focus on your feelings: in the position where you felt more tension, you should stay longer.
1. Head turn
Place your feet hip-width apart, lower your arms along your torso, straighten your back. Take a deep breath through your nose, hold your breath and slowly turn your head to the right and left several times, trying to bring your chin over the shoulder line. Breathe out. Repeat the movement 5-7 times.
“Turning your head while holding your breath reduces tension in the neck and improves blood flow to the brain,” says the instructor. – In yoga, exercises of this type are called “kriya”, they have a cleansing effect on the body. Turning the head helps to get rid of negative emotions, cheer up and clarify the mind. If you do this exercise every day for 2–3 months, the blocks in the cervical spine are removed, and your working capacity increases.”
2. Head tilt
Stand up straight: feet hip-width apart, arms freely lowered along the body, gaze directed straight ahead.
Take a deep breath through your nose, hold your breath and slowly touch your chin three times alternately to the right and left collarbones. Breathe out. Repeat the movement 5-7 times. “This movement improves blood circulation in the brain,” explains Tatyana Goldman. “In addition, it helps stretch the trapezius muscle and helps relieve back tension.”
3. Deflection in the thoracic region
Stand at a distance of 50 cm from the wall: feet together, arms extended upwards, lie on the wall. As you inhale, bend at the thoracic and lumbar spine, trying to press the chest against the wall, and look at the ceiling. With an exhalation, return to the starting position. Repeat 5-7 times.
“The exercise stretches the thoracic spine, increases lung capacity, increases the mobility of the shoulder joints, opens the chest, improves posture and actively saturates the body with oxygen,” the instructor explains.
4. Traction
Stepping back a meter from the wall, place your palms on it. Breathe through your nose. As you inhale, bend at the thoracic spine, look up. As you exhale, bend down, lowering your gaze to the stomach – keep your knees and elbows straight. Repeat 5-7 times.
“Bending on inspiration in the thoracic region, we increase the volume of the lungs by 20%,” explains Tatyana Goldman. – Exhaling tilt improves shoulder mobility, improves posture and reduces tension in the neck and thoracic spine. Even if you perform only this exercise outside the complex, you will feel alert and rested.
5. Tilt to the leg
As you exhale, stretch the fingers of your right hand towards your right foot, keeping your shoulders and hips in line. It is important not to touch the floor, but to act on the shoulder joint of the supporting arm. If your neck is tense, gently turn your head to relax it.
After repeating the movement 5-7 times, for the last time, linger in the slope for 5-7 breath cycles. Then do a series of tilts with the other hand. Stretch again on the side where you felt the most tension. “Slopes help to stretch the entire back and back of the legs, as well as increase the mobility of the shoulder joints and improve posture,” the instructor notes.
6. Leg lift
If your shoulders are still tense, rotate them a few times to loosen them. Take a starting position. Leaning forward, look at your stomach to stretch and relax your neck muscles. While inhaling, take the straightened right leg back and up, with an exhalation, lower it to the floor. Do not take your hip to the side: the body remains motionless. It is important to perform the exercise correctly, even if it turns out to raise the leg quite low.
Repeat 5-7 times, for the last time holding the leg in weight and stretching it out as if you are pushing an invisible wall with your heel. Repeat everything on the other leg. “By taking the leg back, we strengthen the abs and intervertebral muscles, especially those that support the lumbar spine,” says Tatyana Goldman. “In addition, this exercise helps to keep the hips and buttocks in good shape.”
7. Spinal twist
Stand close to the wall, turning to it with your right side. Bending, raise the right knee so that the thigh is parallel to the floor: the lower leg and thigh form an angle of 90 degrees, the right foot is relaxed, the left foot is parallel to the wall at a distance of 30 cm. Stretch your arms, straighten your toes and fingers. The right shoulder will easily touch the wall, and your task is to press the opposite shoulder against the wall.
Stretching, look along the arms to the ceiling. Gently turn your head to relieve tension in your neck, relax your stomach. Stay in this stretch for 7-8 breaths. Turn to the wall with the other side and do the exercise in a mirror. Repeat the stretch on the side where you felt the most tension.
“Twisting the spine strengthens the intervertebral muscles and gradually reduces the curvature, returning the vertebrae to their place,” says Tatyana Goldman. – In the Vedic tradition they say: you need to stretch so that the body is young and healthy. A person who stretches the spine from time to time is less prone to stress and anxiety.”
About expert
Tatyana Goldman – Instructor and teacher of yoga.