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Bone Health, Part 3 - Yoga(1)
Well, the verdict is in. Stress on the bones is a good thing for bone health and yoga is especially suited because of the pull of muscles on the bones. A yoga practice provides expansion and contraction of the muscles. But, what poses are recommended will do me the best good?
What type of yoga you choose and the poses that are best for you depend on your general and bone health, your physical condition, your current or past limitations or challenges, and your experience with yoga. Although yoga is generally safe, there are contraindications for those with compromised bones. Modifications should be made or some poses eliminated entirely. To find out more about contraindications of these poses, please refer to Yoga for Osteoporosis by Loren Fishman, M.D. and Ellen Saltonstall, from which most of the information in this article came.
Here are just a smattering of the yoga poses that contribute to bone health.(2) There are many more, of course, and these should be modified depending your general health and the health of your bones.
Focus on Strength
- Tree Pose - Strengthens legs and hips and improves balance, posture and focus. Use a chair or wall if you feel unsteady.
- Chair Pose - Just like it sounds. Stresses the entire pelvis and posterior portions of the spine's vertebrae. Strengthens the quadriceps. Builds inner and outer strength.
- Triangle Pose - Quintessential yoga pose. Stresses the greater trochanters (hip bones), puts strong torque pressure on the front and back thoracic vertebra, builds stamina, focus and balance.
- Downward Facing Dog - If you're new to this pose, use a wall. Stresses the posterior thigh and shin bones, calcaneus, inner humerus, forearm bones, wrists, shoulder blades and a whole lot more. Tough for those with tight hamstrings, shoulder injuries or cranky wrists.
Focus on Balance
- Side Angle Pose - Challenging pose, with many opportunities to modify. Produces stimulating torque to the entire central and peripheral skeleton.
- Half Moon Pose - This pose will put a smile on your face. Refines balance, lateral load on the lumbar, thoracic and cervical vertebrae, iliac bones, inner and outer femur. Generates forces on the wrists, arms and shoulders. Improves balance.
- Warrior 1 - Stresses the thigh and pelvic bones with hip extension. Stimulates the lumbar and thoracic vertebral bodies and promotes balance.
- Side Plank - This pose builds confidence and terror in many students. You'll be happy when it's over. It applies asymmetrical force to the ribs, the lateral aspects of the vertebral bodies and the pelvic bones. Compressive forces to the wrists arms and shoulders. Balance, for sure.
You don't have to have osteoporosis or osteopenia to benefit from these postures, but if you do have compromised bone health, yoga is a perfect activity. As Dr. Fishman and Ms. Saltonstall write, "Although yoga can be slow. . . .the trip is pleasant and without side effects, overhead, or undertow." Here's to a good trip!
(1) From Yoga for Osteoporosis by Loren Fishman, MD, and Ellen Saltonstall.
(2) There are numerous contraindications for these poses. These are covered in Yoga for Osteoporosis or you can consult your health care practitioner or a yoga teachers trained in yoga therapeutics.
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