There is one pose that I do religiously that tackles so many issues at once, it’s practically an ALL-IN-ONE Yoga Tune Up® pose. My students know that they will get one of a dozen variations of this pose in any of my classes or within the multiple sequences on the Yoga Tune Up® At-Home program. Yes, it’s just simply MAGIC how many different issues it helps: it decompresses your back, lengthens hamstrings, IT Band and calves. It also strengthens both your abdominals and your back while stretching the chest, and for an added BONUS, massages your internal organs!… And that pose is…. Leg Stretch #3.
Here is a version that is easily done against a wall or sturdy piece of furniture. It’s helpful to have a yoga strap, but you can also use a long towel or a tie instead. ENJOY!
P.S. – For more great yoga poses for lower back pain relief, go here and get a new pose each week!
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J’adore cette pause. C’est fascinant de sentir le bas du dos s’allonger, en activant les muscles obliques et le carré des lombes du côté près du sol. Une pose multifonction, source d’un grand bien-être.
The legs stretch series are some of my favorites!!
I LOVE THIS DEPRESSING OF THE PELVIS MOVEMENT! In your class, in several poses, you came over to help me open up that hip space and it feels so good and this helped me realize I could do it myself 😀 good stuff and ALSO just subscribed to the TuneUp Fitness Youtube channel! I’m excited to learn more!!
The whole leg stretch series is fantastic! I especially love #3, and it feels best to me with a closed-chain setup, such as with the bottom leg/foot docked into the wall. Great stuff!
I have always done stretches like this, but learning to depress or move my sitbone away from my waist is the secret ingredient that elevates this pose to a healing pose rather then simply a delicious stretch. This will be on my class plan often!
This is a perfect pose for me to give to my boyfriend. He is always having pain in his lower back, and my observation is that he is always in spine extension when working. He plays the trumpet and when he plays he has his legs together and extended with hip extension and spine extension. So he’s literally cramming his lower back. He’s going to get a yoga tune up lesson when I get back home.
Thank you for all the knowledge and amazing training so far!!
[…] another variation of this pose on video, view here: http://www.yogatuneup.com/blog/2009/10/28/my-favorite-pose-for-lower-back-pain-relief/ This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged All-in-one Yoga pose, how-to, yoga practice. […]
Great demo! I especially liked the emphasis on depressing the pelvis to lengthen the lower back. I’ll send my clients here!
Just had to check out this post since we did a version of this leg stretch in class today. Man, did I feel that this is something I need to do more often in order to create more balance in my body. It is easier to find correct alignment when laying on the floor compared to the reversed triangle, eventhough its still tricky if you have a tight lower back and tight hamstrings.
[…] another variation of this pose on video, view here: http://www.yogatuneup.com/blog/2009/10/28/my-favorite-pose-for-lower-back-pain-relief/ This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged All-in-one Yoga pose, how-to, yoga practice. […]
I’m a little confused here – Leg stretch #3 is not half happy baby, which is where the link lead us.
Anyways, leg stretch #3 is a great abdominal pose. As I was reading the article, I certainly didn’t expect this pose to be your favorite!
This pose is amazing abdominal work by itself and when given the adjustment of additional spinal rotation it’s the best!!
Leg Stretch # 3 creates a yummy lengthening and stretching sensation in my transverse abdominals, while also giving the hamstrings their due. I particularly like this stretch in closed chain mode because pressing my foot against the wall forces me to be more precise in what I am stretching and seems to deepen the release of muscles.
All the leg stretches are extremely eye opening – but Leg Str #3 is definetly my favourite. I especially like the closed chain position against the wall for the extra torque. I am looking forward to the results from regular YTU practice.
as a long struggle-er of low back pain, I really welcome this pose. Right now it is a process to get into it, but as it becomes more familiar to my body, I’m hoping the get the benefits and laugh at lower back pain.
Amazing how revolved triangle can be so rich when taken onto the floor like this. Upright, it’s one of those poses that confuses the heck out of my body. On the ground, I can figure out where my hips are and find the spinal rotation in a satisfying way.
Although I really like Leg Stretch #3 for relieft of back pain, my preference is to do all of the Reclined Leg Stretches to releive my back pain due to all of the sports and activities I do on a regular basis. I play Ice Hockey, teach Spinning, commute by bicycle all over of the city of Toronto, run marathons and compete in triathlons, in addition to spending long days on my feet with my private clients and whilst teaching classes. With a herniated Disc at L4, L5 and a host of other old sport injuries (too long of a list to get into here), all 3 of the Leg Stretches done daily certainly assist me with relieving my back pain. I regularly teach the Reclined Leg Stretches in my classes as preps for the standing pose flow and have started to incorporate the closed chain variations at the wall, which my students find both helpful and endearing : -)
A thoughtful insight and ideas I will use on my website. You’ve obviously spent some time on this. Well done!
[…] For another variation of this pose on video, click here. […]
[…] For another variation of this pose on video, click here. […]