Pose Suggestions for Standing Instability?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Hi everyone,

I suffer chronic low back pain and find that Yoga is the only thing keeping it under control. As I experiment I’ve found that I appear to have weakness in my Gluteus Medius, and Maximus

I have a lot of trouble balancing in Warrior 3, Half Moon Pose and Tree Pose and regulary have groin pain after long walks as well.

Seems I’m basically very unstable around the core.

I’m working on my TA, but want to try to build some strength in the glutes and other stabilizing muscles in that area.

Can you suggest some poses I might try?

thanks!

#2

Hi Nick!

Off the top of my head I remember in my training we spent one full class trying to find those specific muscles. The best thing I can suggest for the Gluteus Medius isn’t actually a yoga posture.
I’ll try and explain it though:

  1. Stand in a forward bend with your fingers just touching the ground or a block to help you maintain your balance.
  2. From here raise your right leg to the side. not the front or the back but raise it up to the side of you while keeping it straight.

I’d suggest doing 2 sets of 3 of these on each leg. Than slowly increase the repetitions until you reach 10. Once you reach 10 increase the number of sets you do. I guarantee you will strengthen you medius!

As for the gluteus maximus, any of the warrior poses are great for strengthening the gluteus maximus. Even the other poses you mentioned the more you do them the more you are letting your glutes work. While in these sorts of poses try to actively be aware of the muscles you really want to strengthen and SQUEEZE EM!! even while you are just walking try squeezing them glutes, every little bit helps!

#3

Thanks Kamma, i’ve been doing a variation of your first set lying down, it does seem to get the muscle, but after weeks of doing it I notice very little difference.

It’s certainly a hard problem to work out and I’ve been to so many physio therapists over the years that I’m just more happy to keep trying to figure out the key myself. Perhaps I just need to work at these muscles much more…

Quite possibly those muscles are not even the problem, they just seem to be!

#4

Chronic low back pain needs to be evaluated by a yoga therapist (or one so trained) and assessed before choosing an appropriate protocol for remedy. Otherwise it is quite possible to make matters worse.

If however one has cultivated a heightened sense of awareness (of their own body) then one can work from the inside out and oft discover the culprit behind the low back pain.

#5

Hi

Working on strengthening your core is important for improved balance. Doing exercises for your stomach muscles would help.

Take it slow and do what you can and what your body allows you to do:)

Good luck:)

Lexi

#6

Perform Garudasana, to the lenght of three breaths a side in the begining, close to a wall. The breathing would be thoracic, with focus on the lateral dilatation of the thoracic area, and a moderate abdominal contraction. Avoid retention of breath. In time, the practice must be raised to the number of 6, than 12 breaths, each side. Do not more than three breaths in the beginning, for a few weeks, even if you are able. Depending on your age, I’d recomend it’s practice every second day if your age is under 28, twice a week if you are over 28. If you are older than 35 or overweight, once a week is enough.

I’d reccomend total avoidance of refined sugars, carbohidrates and dairy from your diet, keeping yourself well hydrated, with as many relaxations in corspe pose as possible a day, obligatory after the postural practice.

If you feel acute pain in your hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, elbows, wrists or spine, than stop, and avoid doing Garudasana.

#7

Thanks Lexiyoga, Hubert

Hubert apart from the health benefits we normally associate with such a diet, what makes you recommend this for muscle weakness / imbalance?

It just so happens that I have started to do just that this week in fact. I used to have a great diet when we lived in the country in Denmark but since moving back to the UK suburbs my eating habbits have taken a considerable turn for the worse!

#8

I’m going to ask what might end up being a pretty dumb question so please forgive me if I’m stating the obvious… but what kind of surface are you practicing yoga on? Wood floor or carpet? Is your yoga mat very thick? Are you barefoot?

I just wonder because if you have lower back pain you might be working on a thicker surface, a carpeting perhaps instead of floor and/or a thicker mat to accommodate your sore back when lying down and that would make for more unstable balancing poses when standing. Even just a little extra thickness under the foot when balancing, when taken away, can make a difference.

(and are you wearing proper “walking specific” shoes when you go for long walks?)

#9

Hi Missi, I actually use a thick piece of MDF board (dense wood) on top of the carpet as the carpet is too thick to place a mat on and work properly.

My back does not hurt much while doing yoga, it hurts when i sit, or stand or lie in one position for too long – walking is good (yes, with good walkng boots) but after 2hrs i get back pain and pain the gluteus medius / piriformis area – not really able to entirely work out what’s going on but it sure seems as though that muscle group is not doing a good enough job supporting me!

#10

[quote=Nick Wilson;17916]Thanks Lexiyoga, Hubert

Hubert apart from the health benefits we normally associate with such a diet, what makes you recommend this for muscle weakness / imbalance?

[/quote]

These foods have an inflammatory or mucus increasing effect, and articular pain is often is linked or caused to soft tissue inflammation. He said he suffers from chronic low back pain.