Yoga is an ancient practice that started about 5000 years ago in India. It can involve any number of spiritual, mental, and physical practices. Hatha yoga involves breathing techniques, physical posture and relaxation. It brings a wide variety of benefits to practitioners, including increased strength and flexibility and improved posture.
Individuals who have scoliosis can benefit a lot from yoga. Through fusing the yoga posture with breathing awareness, an individual can improve its structural alignment. This is done through stretching and strengthening the muscles that have become weak. As a result it brings less pain and better posture for those who suffer from scoliosis.
One thing important to note is that when you opt for yoga it needs inner awareness and commitment. With this activity it is vital that you do not expect perfection instead accept what you can do and try to find your own center and optimal alignment. You just work on it, it brings not only physical benefits but psychological as well. Indeed yoga is empowering, it give you some sense of control that you can do a lot more to improve your health condition and your way of living.
Yoga Method for Scoliosis
Focus on breathing. It is important that you focus on breathing through your nose and also learn to breathe into the affected area or part of the ribs and lungs where breath will not flow easily. Perform the Ujjayi breath where you will hear a soft hissing sound when you breathe so that this will actually tell you to keep breathing while you do the poses.
Decrease of lateral curve. The first thing is, it is vital to lengthen the spine to bring it back to center. After that, strengthening the muscles that run along the spine, abdominal muscles as well as the legs to prevent the lateral curve from increasing.
Decrease of posterior rotation. In all position it is possible to de-rotate the rotation of the scoliosis thus result to balance and alignment.
Realigning your posture. Finding your own center is quite a challenge for those who suffer from scoliosis. In your daily activities it is important that you keep your four natural curves of the spine and more so during your standing poses with yoga. You definitely can do a lot of different pose with yoga.
Resist gravity and lengthen your spine. When you suffer scoliosis there is a change in the body’s center of gravity and most of the time you lose height and in constant fight with the pull of gravity. Hanging in inverted position helps your body to realign, stretch your spine and create more space between your vertebrae, release some tensions in the muscle and re-align the body to its center. Inversion therapy can indeed help you a lot.