Jennifer Russo

Some believe that the only way you can build a strong body is by lifting weights. While lifting will certainly make your muscle tissue more dense and strong, yoga also builds a considerable amount of strength.

Like many, I tend to hold all my stress in my back. This manifests itself in my upper shoulders and the sides of my neck. This, in turn, sometimes leads to migraines, irritability, insomnia and fatigue. Thankfully, there are some poses that serve to stretch and strengthen your back, lessening the chances that you will experience chronic pain in these areas.

Low Lunge: Fold over your legs and touch your hands to the floor. Keeping one foot between your hands, step the other back so you are in a lunging position with the front knee bent deeply. If this is too much on your back knee, shimmy your leg back so the weight is on your shin. Lift your chest and reach your arms up overhead. Try not to sink into your hips, but pull up on the ribs to even off the weight. Hold and then change sides.

Sphinx and Seal poses: We’ve all seen what the Sphinx statue in Egypt looks like. Lay on your belly with legs straight behind you and tops of feet on the floor. Now, lift up just enough to place your forearms on the floor, lining up your shoulders and elbows so they are stacked. Now, engage by pressing the legs and feet into the floor and pulling back on the arms, almost as if you are trying to drag the floor without moving your hands. Hold. Now, move the palms diagonally out until your arms are straight when you lift your chest off the floor, like a seal. Hold this. This is excellent for the lower back.

Swimmers Pose: Stay on your belly and stretch one arm straight along your ear and the other straight along your side, forehead on the floor. Lift the arms up as high as you can and hold for two seconds, then release. Do this five times, then switch sides. This strengthens all the muscles of your upper back and provides balance.

Doing these poses each day will not only provide strength but also improve your posture.

The pure light in me honors and respects the pure light in each of you. Namaste.