Make Yoga Work for You

Do you have days when it is painful to stretch your low belly?

Have a hard time doing yoga postures on the floor because of back, hip, knee, or wrist pain?

Very often people experiencing pain from endometriosis, a bladder flare, or back pain might think that it is not possible for them to do certain yoga postures. In this post, we look at a few postures I commonly prescribe for my patients and how they can be modified to help you feel your best.

Thread the Needle

A lot of our day to day movement is moving forward or side to side. For folks working at a computer, we don’t often rotate our body as much as it would like. Rotation in the mid-back is one of the key aspects to ensuring optimal shoulder mobility, low back flexibility, and allows for diaphragmatic expansion.

Sometimes in order to gain more rotation through the lower part of the spine we need to “unlock” the mid- and upper spine. Thread the Needle allows us to zoom in on the upper and mid-back.

One potential barrier for this posture is that some folks may have a difficult time weight-bearing on the wrists and/or knees. We can achieve the same goal of spinal rotation by performing Thread the Needle in standing.

Standing Thread the Needle: Stand with your knees slightly bent and your hands on a table or chair. Bend your right elbow and look towards the left, then come back up to center. Bend your left elbow and look to the right, then come back up to center.

You can use your breath by inhaling as you look to the left, or you could decide to stay in the posture for one or more breath cycles.

Sphinx Pose

Sphinx pose

Another posture that has a lot to offer to people limited by pain is the standing version of Sphinx Pose. This is a great option for those who may find it difficult to be on the ground, are in the 2nd/3rd trimester, or want a quick extension break while working at their desk…or kitchen table.

Additionally, during an active bladder flare or abdominal pain caused by endometriosis, adenomyosis, or menstrual pain, you can grade the amount of extension your body feels comfortable with when you are standing.

Option #1:

Stand in Mountain Pose. Bring your palms to your lower back. Inhale and lift your ribs up from your waist. Continue the upward motion as you lift your sternum to the ceiling. This is an active backbend—try not to crunch down and hinge in the low back, but maintain length as you backbend.

Option #2:

Stand in Mountain Pose in front of a wall. Have your elbows bent and hands up just below shoulder height on the wall. Inhale and lift your ribs up from your waist. Continue the upward motion as you lift your sternum to the ceiling.

The wall is here to offer counterbalance and support. This is an active backbend—try not to crunch down and hinge in the low back, but maintain length as you backbend.

Banana Pose

Banana Pose is one of my favorite postures to do while I’m lying on the ground because it offers a high payoff for little effort. Sometimes at the end of a long day the last thing I want to do is an active yoga practice or exercise program. I love to luxuriate in catching up on my latest TV series and rolling around on the ground—unwinding the tension that has accumulated through the day.

Also, when I’ve had bad menstrual symptoms that have left me no choice but to stay in bed, doing Banana Pose has been helpful. I’ve also had good luck with Restorative Child’s Pose and Supine Twist (with knees propped up on pillows).

In this modification, a bolster is placed under the right knee. This limits spinal rotation, which might feel better for people with sacroiliac joint pain.

Banana Pose can also be done standing, as Half Moon Pose.