Align your spine is a four-week series of posts published for the next four weeks on Wednesdays breaking down the pain you are experiencing in your spine. Realigning the four major parts of your spine can lead to a life without pain. Each week new stretches will be offered. Join us as we work our way down your spine.
Finally we arrive at the base of your spine: the sacrum. You have likely heard a yoga teacher mention this myriad of times, scratched your head and just kept on stretching without giving much thought to what was actually happening in your body.
Below that big curved bit in your lower spine lies a flat triangular shaped bone known as the sacral area. The bones in this part are completely fused together and therefore move as one unit unlike the rest of the spine which has far more give.
When pain is experienced in this area, it can be debilitating seemingly without relief.
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There are several stretches that can assist you in this area, let’s stick with the basics shall we? A good old-fashioned child’s pose:
1. Kneel on your mat or on the bed. Let the tops of the feet lay on the surface. If that hurts your ankles, you can dig the toes in and stretch the backs of the ankles instead.
2. Bring the weight of your glutes on your heels.
3. Then lower your torso towards the mat.
4. Wrap the arms around your legs and relax your shoulders.
5. Try to sit in this pose for a few minutes.
This stretch can be done every morning and every night before going to bed. If you’ve had any ankle injuries, knee problems or surgeries, and/or especially if you have very tight hips and find it hard to send them back over the ankles, try a reverse version of this pose. Lay on your back and simply pull the knees up towards the chest. If you carry extra weight in the middle, you can bring the knees to either side of the torso.
Take care of your sacrum, it’s the only one you’ve got!
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