For those who have experienced sciatica, you’ll already know that it can be one of the most painful conditions out there. It’s also an incredibly common issue, with millions of people the world over experiencing the same sensations.
If you do suffer from sciatica, and you’ve managed to stumble across this article, then please know that there are things you can do to relieve the pain.
One of the most effective and simple ways that you can ease the pain caused by sciatica is to practice some simple yoga poses. The benefits of yoga for those who are suffering from chronic pain have been proven to be immense.
Yoga is also one of the easiest forms of physical activity that you can begin practicing. It’s extremely beginner friendly, and allows you to progress to more advanced poses at your own pace.
If you’re on the hunt for some amazing yoga poses that can help to maintain your body’s health, then thankfully, you’ve come to the right place.
Below we’ve compiled a list of what we believe to be some of the very best yoga poses for those experiencing this condition.
To find out more, simply keep reading below, as we take a closer look.
What Is Sciatica And How Can Yoga Help?
Now, before we jump straight in and start taking a look at some of our very favorite yoga poses, first, we’d like to take a closer look at sciatica itself, as well as how yoga can help to relieve the associated pain.
Sciatica is essentially a deep rooted nerve pain. It starts out in the buttock and leg region, and occurs due to a type of compression on the main nerve in the body.
This compression can happen for a number of different reasons, but some of the most common include a herniated or slipped disc.
This can trigger the onset of sciatica. Some types of sciatica pain can even be so bad that they can prevent the person from walking.
If you’ve been experiencing pain for the aforementioned reason, but haven’t yet been to see a medical professional, make sure to make an appointment as soon as possible so that they can treat you.
So, why is yoga considered to be so great for sciatica? Well, it’s because yoga has been known as being particularly effective at treating chronic lower back pain in many different capacities.
There are no jarring, quick movements involved in yoga either that could provoke your symptoms. In yoga, you’re simply strengthening all of your muscles at a steady pace.
Some of the main areas affected by sciatica, including the glutes and hamstrings, are the areas where people experience the most pain, therefore, it’s important to keep up with your yoga practice, to help flex these muscles, and relieve any associated soreness.
Best Yoga Poses For Sciatica Relief
1. Child’s Pose
Why not start out with one of the most common poses within yoga practice?
Child’s pose is often performed during the commencement or at the end of yoga classes, and is a great way to stretch out all of your muscles to relieve tension.
It’s also incredibly relaxing, and will help to open up your rib area, hips, lower back, and thighs.
- Drop down to your hands and knees, bringing them both together, then push your hips back against your heels.
- After this, you’re going to want to extend your arms outward, so that they’re as far forward away from your body as possible.
- Allow your middle region to relax, and focus on your breathing as you feel the tension leave from some of the tighter areas of your body. You should seek to hold this particular pose for approximately 5 minutes in total.
2. Fish Pose
The next pose that we’re going to be taking a look at is the fish pose. This is a pose that many of you might not have heard about before, but it’s highly beneficial for those suffering from lower back pain.
It helps to align your spine, as well as relieve tension in your back and rib area.
- Lie flat down on your mat, with your back to the ground. Have your hands flat on either side of your body.
- After you’ve done this, you’re going to want to take in a very deep breath, then bend your knees so that you can lift your pelvis off of the floor. Whilst your pelvis is up, you can then place your hands so that they’re underneath your buttock region.
- After you’ve done this, seek to bring the rest of your forearms and shoulders underneath your torso too, so that they’re as tucked in as possible.
- After you’ve done all of this, you can then lift your neck and upper torso region up from the floor, and take a deep breath inwards. Make sure that you’re not putting any weight on your head whilst you do this. Hold this all for 20 seconds, then breathe out and repeat as many times as you like.
3. Classic Cobra Pose
Some of you reading this list may have already heard of the cobra pose, and it’s a super popular one for a reason. The cobra pose is great for those who are suffering from sciatica, purely because its main focus is to strengthen up your back region.
It can also help to adjust any displacements in your back over time.
- You want to start off this pose by lying down flat on your stomach, and then placing your hands on either side of your body.
- Make sure that you can feel your hips, feet, and pubic region firmly pressed against the ground as much as possible.
- After you’ve done this, you’re going to want to go ahead and take a super deep breath in. Whilst you’re taking your deep breath in, you can go ahead and lift the upper region of your body, including your head, chest, and abdominal region off of the floor.
- You can then gaze upwards, directly in front of you, for approximately 5 breaths.
4. Seated Forward Bend
If you’re looking for a yoga pose that’s both super easy to perform, and can help immensely in terms of sciatica pain, then we’d like to introduce you to the seated forward bend.
This one is actually responsible for stretching and strengthening your entire back region, all the way from the bottom to the top. It also helps your hamstrings and glutes, and can help to stretch these, relieving the pain of sciatica in the process.
We do not, however, recommend that you partake in this particular position if you know that you’re suffering from a slipped disc in your back.
- To get started, start out by simply sitting down on the floor. Have your legs stretched out and resting in front of you, not quite touching one another. You then want to go ahead and press down the back of your heels and legs on the floor so that they feel as flat as possible. As you’re doing all of this, take a deep breath inwards.
- After you’ve done this, exhale as you slowly reach forward, trying to touch the surface of your feet with your hands. You might not be able to do this right away, but that’s the purpose of this exercise, to increase your flexibility.
- You’re going to want to create a slight bend in your elbow region as you’re reaching forward, so that you’re able to rest them on the floor as you’re stretching.
- After you’ve done this, you can take a very deep breath inwards again, and come back upwards breathing out in the process.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, there are a whole host of yoga poses out there that are beneficial for those who are suffering from sciatica related pain. Yoga can help to relieve tension both by increasing flexibility in the region, as well as strengthening your back muscles.
If you want to try out yoga to help relieve some of the pain associated with sciatica, then we’d recommend that you get started out with the poses listed above.
Make sure that you consult with your doctor first to make sure that it’s safe to perform these particular poses.
I created this website to help newcomers to yoga and enthusiasts alike, and to share our common passions for yoga.
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