Practicing yoga asanas on regular basis is the best way to manage symptoms of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, caused due to the low calcium in the body, is a common disorder today. People suffering from osteoporosis are at a higher risk of fractures and bone breakage due to weak, brittle bones. Decreased nutritional value of food, bad eating habits, lack of nutritional supplements, no physical activities are adding to the ill effects.
Along with consuming calcium-rich food and supplements, practicing various therapeutic yoga asanas is a great way to combat the problem of weak and porous bones. There are many yoga asanas known to have strengthening effects on different body organs like hip joints, spinal cord, back muscles, gives stronger wrists, flexible knees, and many more.
On this upcoming world osteoporosis day observed on 20 October, let us discuss the excellent yoga poses and postures that are highly beneficial in strengthening the bones and maintaining the body posture.
Utkatasana / Chair pose
It is one of the asanas from the ashtanga yoga sequence. The largest muscle in the body is involved while practicing this pose. It is recommended to hold the pose as long as you are comfortable. The longer you hold the pose the more strength it will give to your bones. One minute of holding this pose burns around 5-6 calories. Parivritta Utkatasana is the rotated variation of this pose, strengthening the quads and gluteals. Doing this pose with weight resistance can be done as an advancement in regular practice to induce more strength and endurance.
Adho mukh svanasana / Upward facing dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana rejuvenates and energizes your body, lessening the stress on the back muscles. This asana lengthens and strengthens the spine giving relief from the painful back. It is a full-body workout stretch that improves the health of the spine, hamstring, calves, lower back, strengthens shoulders, and core. The pose is known to be beneficial in treating osteoporosis and menopause symptoms.
Trikonasana / Triangle pose
Trikonasana helps to stretch the back, core, legs, and arms. You can perform multiple variations of it with the use of yoga props such as ropes, cables, blankets, etc for a more relaxing pose so that already weak bones don’t get too stressed. It especially helps in lengthening the spine. Try to do it under the surveillance of your yoga instructor to avoid any mistake that may lead to further soreness on the muscles. It improves balance maintaining stability in your torso and legs while you rotate your spine. The asana relieves back pain, invigorates the abdominal muscles, and strengthens the hips.
Dandasana / staff pose
Dandasana is a seated yoga asana in modern yoga. This pose is excellent for toning and strengthening the core. This seated asana stretches shoulders and thorax. It improves posture and improves the body’s resistance to back and hip injury. It calms the mind, lengthens, and strengthens the spine. It burns the fat from the abdomen and increases the productivity of the abs, hips, and thighs.
Setu bandhasana / Bridge pose
This pose is known to calm the central nervous system. It strengthens the spine and reduces the strain on the neck. Additionally, it helps to develop stronger shoulders and gives relief from the sagged shoulders. This asana improves blood circulation through arteries and gives rest to the heart making it healthy and blockage-free. Lastly, it is remedial for low body strength, migraines, headaches, stiff neck, and insomnia.
Bhujangasana / Cobra pose
Regular practice of this yoga asana has been proved to be effective in strengthening the body, especially the spine, hip joints, and wrists. This gentle backbend stretch strengthens your back, chest, shoulders, and abdomen. Practicing this asana may soothe the pain caused by osteoporosis and sciatica too. It also helps to reduce the stress and fatigue that is accompanied by back pain.
Yoga can be practiced as a precautionary remedy for preventing the conditions such as osteoporosis but it also depends upon the other genetic conditions also. But it can certainly help you to reduce the risk and damage to a great extent. All yoga asanas mentioned here are recommended according to the general h health conditions and are advised to practice only after the expert consultation. Seek professional medical advice before starting yoga practices to check whether they are recommended for you or not (as per your health and medical condition).