Often, working and stretching the muscles of the hips helps develop balanced action of back muscles. This, in turn, may help decrease back pain. Standing yoga poses are key to attaining balance, strength and flexibility of the hips. Here are some things to know and consider when doing yoga for healthy posture. Four standing poses are covered, with instructions included.
Mountain Pose
Mountain pose -- also known as tadasana -- is the first of the standing poses, and it trains every single muscle to help the body come into alignment. Mountain pose shows us the finer points of alignment, including just how foundational it is to a yoga practice.Triangle Pose
Hips play a big role in motion and the balance of body posture. They are centrally located and are connected to the lowest part of the spine. With such a close connection between hips and spine, it’s no wonder that 80% of people get back pain! A correctly done triangle pose -- or trikonasana -- will reintroduce you to your hip joints and get them mobile again.Extended Side Angle Pose
Because it stretches the flank, and does so while challenging your balance, extended side angle pose -- or parsvokonasana -- lengthens the spine and counters poor posture.Standing Forward Bend
The standing forward bend -- or uttanasana -- provides a great opportunity to stretch your hamstrings, and release yourself from any flat low back posture you might have. This will restore and preserve your spinal curves, and protect your disks. Standing forward bend will also help you develop awareness of your alignment as it requires you to be acutely aware of your positioning.Yoga for Back Pain - Related Reads and Resources
Strengthen your foundation by refreshing your awareness of the basics of yoga for back pain by reading the overview, taking the quiz or signing up for the free beginners e-course.Try Other Yoga for Back Pain Series
Now that you have acquainted yourself with the standing yoga poses for a healthy posture, you can streamline your practice by working from the Series.You can also try the beginner series -- Yoga for Your Back, and the intermediate series -- Yoga for Spinal Flexibility. Series #1 and #2 in the links above include both the instructions and the explanations. Series #3 contains instructions only.
