Originally appeared on positivehealthwellness.com.

By Karen Reed

Sciatica is the pain that emits along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. The interesting thing about sciatica is that it affects only one side of your body.You’ll have a bright idea if you watch this animated video.

Sciatica occurs when a herniated disc bone spur on the spine or the narrowing of the spine compresses part of the nerve. This action causes pain, numbness, and inflammation in the affected leg. You may experience severe pain linked to sciatica. You can resolve the problem with nonoperative treatments in a few weeks’ time, but some people do require surgery.

How Can Yoga Help?

Yoga is one of the best preventive measures to considerably lower your debilitating pain of sciatica. A steady yoga practice helps the spine in its six natural movements of flexion, extension, twisting left, and right and lateral flexion left and right. Yoga requires articulation, undulation, and revolution of spines.

These yogic movements create a much-needed space between the bones and help the vertebral discs to receive nutrients and remove debris. This action increases both the strength and suppleness of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support the spinal column.

Yoga Routines to Relieve Sciatica

Bharadvaja’s Twist Pose (Bharadvajasana)

Kneel and bring your right heel toward your outer right buttock in half hero’s pose also called the artavirasana. Lift your left knee externally, rotate in the left hip and place the left heel into the right hip flexor.

Gently begin to twist to the left. Bring your right hand to the outside of the left knee sitting up tall. Breathe, inhale and exhale and turn to the left shoulder. Again inhale, exhale and twist. Inhale back to the center slowly.

Extend your left leg first. Then slowly lifting your right buttock bring the right leg out. Lift your left heel into your left outer buttock. Bring the right heel right into left hip flexor. Rotate your left hip slowly externally rotating your left knee down.

Twist to the right left hand to the outside of the right knee. Keep your right hand behind the back inhale and extend. Exhale and twist. Again inhale extending your spine. Twist and exhale. Inhale back to center. Extend your right leg and then the left foot.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Lie down and place your palms under the shoulders with the fingertips in line with the front of the shoulder. Place your elbows close to the torso. Keep your chin on the floor. Press the tops of your feet down to the ground.

Inhale and bring the torso up without using your arm strength. First, do the low cobra. Hold in this position for some time. Take three to six breaths and then as you exhale lower down slowly relax and take a breath.

Press the tops of the feet, the thighs again, and pressing your palms to continue your journey upward. Stop at a comfortable level. Move further up and even in the highest position, don’t straighten the elbows and now look forward. Hold and take 6 to 12 breaths.

Slowly come down to provide rest to your vertebrae. Now move into a child’s pose. Sit back onto your heels and lower your forehead to the floor. Relax your neck. Slowly come up and relax.

Bound Angle Pose

Begin the pose by sitting on the front edge of a folded blanket. Bend your knees and place the bottom of your feet together. Gently bring your heels close to your pubic bone.Wrap your legs deeply, and you will feel a light stretch in your inner legs.

Pressure the fingertips into the floor next to your hips and lengthen up from your hips to the crown of your head. You can sit on another blanket if your pelvis slumps back and your lower back collapses.

Now press your heels together and enclose the top of your thighs to release toward the floor. Separate the top edges of your feet like two halves of a book. Gently draw your abdominal muscles towardyour spine to support the length of your torso.

Initiate the forward bend by rocking your spine forward. Keep your spine long and walk your hands infront of you to support the weight of your upper body.

Continue releasing into a forward bend until you feel a moderate stretch in the inner thigh and groin. Place your outer heels together, lengthen your inner knees away from your groins hollow your lower belly and move your chest forward. Breathe slowly and deeply. Relax your facial muscles and jaw as you draw your attention inward.

To release the pose inhale as you slowly lengthen and lift your torso back to vertical.

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