| Many athletes suffer from back pain due to | | | | with the breath. |
| imbalances in the body created by contact sports. | | | | 3. Downward-Facing Dog: Start in tabletop but place |
| Lucky for you, yoga for athletes has many uses, and | | | | your hands a little bit further out, spreading your fingers |
| one of them is to relieve stress and pain, particularly in | | | | wide on the mat. As you exhale, lift your knees away |
| the back. Here are 5 easy poses for you to practice | | | | from the floor, lifting your tailbone high to the sky. |
| at home when your back is crying for attention: | | | | Keeping the knees bent, press into the hands and roll |
| | | | the shoulders into the back, keeping a straight back. |
| 1. Cat Pose: Place yourself on your hands and knees, | | | | Then slowly straighten the knees and encourage the |
| making sure your knees are hip width apart and your | | | | heels toward the floor while maintaining the lift in the |
| hands are directly beneath your shoulders (so your | | | | tailbone. |
| limbs are making 90 degree angles) with your eyes | | | | 4. Sphinx Pose: Begin lying on your belly, tops of the |
| looking at the floor (tabletop position). As you exhale, | | | | feet on the floor. Place your elbows below your |
| round your back like an angry cat, making sure to | | | | shoulders with your forearms parallel to each other. |
| keep your hands and knees in place. You can bring | | | | Without clenching your buttocks, inhale and slowly push |
| your head towards the floor, but don't force your chin | | | | into your arms and lift your chest and head away |
| to your chest. Inhale as you return to tabletop position. | | | | from the ground, into a mild backbend. Hold this for |
| 2. Happy Puppy Pose: Starting again from tabletop, | | | | about 10 breaths. |
| inhale as you arch your back and stick your tailbone up | | | | 5. Child's Pose: In a kneeling position with big toes |
| in the air, bringing up your head and looking forwards. | | | | touching, open your knees and let your torso lie |
| Allow your belly to drop and your chest to shine | | | | between them. Stretch your arms out in front of you |
| forwards. Exhale as you return to tabletop. For a nice | | | | and bring your buttocks towards your heels. This is a |
| spine massage, take Happy Puppy pose as you inhale | | | | restorative pose and relieves stress, so feel free to |
| and go straight to Cat pose as you exhale. Do this as | | | | hang out here as long as you like. |
| many times as you like, starting slow and speeding up | | | | |