Back pain is a big issue in society today with 80% of Americans expected to experience it at some point during their lifetime.

So, it’s important to become mindful of your daily habits and make small adjustments to your lifestyle to minimize the pressure and strain on your back.

And one of the best ways to do this is through regular exercise.

As this will keep your body strong and flexible enough to support and protect your back throughout the day.

And if you want the ideal exercise for doing this you should consider giving yoga a try.

Because yoga is great for increasing flexibility, strengthening your core, improving your posture, and giving you a well-balanced and healthy body.

All of which will help to keep your back happy and free from pain.

However, while women have wholly embraced yoga and it’s benefits over the years, many men are still reluctant to give it a try.

As they think it’s a ‘girly’ activity that you can’t get a ‘real’ workout from and that their friends would make fun of them for doing it.

However, this is a big mistake and men need to get over this stigma.

Because by practicing yoga regularly they can greatly reduce their chances of developing back pain.

Reasons Why Yoga Is Great for Preventing Back Pain

There have been many scientific studies that have shown yoga to be a really beneficial activity for people with back pain.

But how exactly does it help?

Well the answer is in a number of ways and I’ll go through them all one by one now.

1.      Practicing Yoga Will Increase Your Flexibility Which Relieves Pressure on Your Back

Yoga is brilliant for keeping the muscles and tissues in your body loose and flexible.

As every stretch and posture lengthens and strengthens your muscles which is great for your back.

Because staying flexible will keep your body balanced and spread any pressure and strain evenly across your body as you go about your daily business.

Meaning your back muscles don’t have to work as hard and can stay relaxed and pain free.

2.      It Strengthens Your Core to Give Your Back Better Support and Protection

Having a strong core is vital for being able to avoid persistent back pain.

As it’s your deep lying core muscles that support and protect your spine throughout the day.

And having this strong support is especially important when undertaking activities that involve powerful movements such as gardening, exercise, or manual labour.

Because if your core is weak then your back will come under far more strain, which makes the likelihood of injuries and pain much higher.

But the good news is practicing yoga is great for building up this core strength.

As holding the various poses involves having to support different levels of your own body weight.

And this is ideal for strengthening your whole body but especially your core muscles.

So, give your back the support and protection it needs to avoid pain with regular yoga sessions.

3.      Yoga Improves Your Posture and Balance

If you want to stay free from back pain then you need to be able to maintain a healthy posture throughout the day.

Because whether you’re standing, sitting, or moving around, if you do so with an uneven posture then your body comes under all sorts of pressure from the forces of gravity.

And this forces it to compensate, with certain areas such as your back taking on most of this extra burden.

However, holding your body in a balanced and healthy posture will spread this pressure evenly across your body instead.

Which eases the load on your lower back in particular and helps to keep you out of pain.

And practicing yoga is great for allowing you to do this.

As it improves your balance and loosens any tight muscles that may be causing you to hunch over.

And the increased core strength you gain from it makes it much easier to hold your body upright while remaining relaxed and comfortable.

So, your back will come under much less pressure and strain throughout the day and feel a lot better as a result.

4.      Yoga Increases Circulation and Blood Flow

Having good circulation is another important factor for keeping your back happy.

As this allows your body to circulate the oxygen and nutrients that your muscles and tissues need to stay fit and healthy.

While also flushing away any waste and toxins that can cause painful inflammation if not disposed of.

However, having muscles that are tight and sore can cause blockages that prevent both of these things from happening.

So, putting your body through the stretches and postures during a yoga session is great for preventing this.

As this will relax any tight muscles and relieve any built-up muscle tension that may be causing a blockage.

Freeing up the pathways for your blood to flow freely and the muscles and tissues in your back to stay relaxed and pain-free.

About the Author

Daniel Singleton is the founder of Back on Site, a website dedicated to helping people fight back against persistent back pain using the latest medical and scientific advice as well as his own personal experiences with the condition.

Continued next week…