In the last issue of this column two weeks ago, I talked about back pain and how yoga can help.

Here I demonstrated a yoga sequence to help strengthen your lower back – the most vulnerable part of the spine – to protect the sacrum, and improve the stability and flexibility of the hips.
As I’ve mentioned in the previous article, when done regularly and correctly, this therapy can help reduce pain and inflammation, increase circulation, improve function and increase a sense of self-confidence and well-being.

Before you start, always be mindful of breathing. Inhale deeply and freely and exhale completely through the nostrils. In the practice of yoga, inhalation and exhalation are used to integrate the spinal movement.

We breathe in to lengthen the spine, creating space in our vertebrae, and we breathe out to move or to go deeper into the posture.
Last but not least, follow the order of the sequence. It starts with gentle warm-ups before going further. These hatha yoga poses have been modified to meet therapeutic needs.
In this part, we cover poses on
the floor and standing, while the next column will cover those lying on the belly and on the back. You
can do just these poses, but make sure you end with a nice relaxing corpse pose (savasana), lying on your back for a few minutes. You may place a pillow under your knees if you feel discomfort lying on your back.   

Warm-ups on all fours:
1. Chakravakasana
Come to all fours with the wrists under your shoulders and the knees under the hips. Inhale and lift the chest up away from the belly, flatten the thoracic spine, then exhale contracting the abdomen, rounding the lower back as you bring the buttocks toward the heels. Repeat a few times.
2. Vajrasana
Stand on your knees about a hip-width apart. Inhale and bring the arms over the head. On the exhale bend forward, sweeping the arms behind the back and bringing the hands to the sacrum, palms up. Bring your chest to the thighs before bringing the buttocks to your heels. Repeat a few more times.
3. Ekapada Ustrasana — Stretch the iliopsoas and hips flexor
Stand on the left knee with the knee directly below the hip, and bring the right foot forward slightly in front of the left knee. Hands on the left knee.
Inhale and lift the chest forward as you lunge forward stretching the front of body.  At the same time raise the left arm. Exhale and return to starting position, bringing the arm down. Repeat a few more times in this sequence and do the same on the opposite leg.

Standing poses
1.Virabhadrasana — stretch the abdomen and iliopsoas
Bring the right foot forward about two-thirds of a meter. Put your left hand on the right thigh. On the inhale bend the right knee as you raise the left arm up. Exhale and bring the arm down, keeping the front knee bent. Repeat a few times then hold the pose while keeping the arm up, after a while. Do the other side.
2. Uttanasana – stretch lower back
Stand with the feet slightly apart. Inhale, then as you exhale bend forward and slide the arms down towards the heels, bend your knees slightly if you need to. Inhale and come up again. Repeat a few times then on the next inhale lift the chest a little bit, flattening the upper back. Exhale fold back down. Repeat a few times. Finally on the next inhale come all the way up.
3. Utkatasana
Stand with the feet slightly apart. Inhale, then as you exhale bend the knees while folding forward, bringing the chest towards the thighs and sliding the hands towards the ankles. Inhale and come up again. Repeat a few times.
After the practice give yourself some rest in savasana. In our next issue we will have more poses for the sequence. Namaste.

Chakravakasana. JP/P.J. Leo

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