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Our back is under stress all the time. Exercises help to relieve back pain and prevents us from slouching. There are several asanas in yoga, which help to strengthen the back. The general rule is to do forward bending poses for lower back pain and backward bending poses for upper back or neck pain. Poses can be modified. Following are some poses, which serve as a massage for back pains.

Bhujangasana. Or the cobra pose.

GA_googleFillSlot("sitagitarectanglebottom"); This helps to relieve back pain. It also improves digestion. Lie on your abdomen. Place your palms close to your chest. The knees and the feet should be kept straight. Breathe in and then lift the head and the chest. Look up, breathe normally and come down. Stay in the pose for 15 seconds. After doing the pose for a fortnight, you can stay in the pose for one minute. The second phase of the pose is, lifting the head, chest and the abdomen off the ground.

Ushtrasana or the camel pose

Kneel on the mat. Slowly clasp your hips and take your head back, keeping the body straight. Now slowly clasp the ankles of both the feet. The head must bend nicely backwards. Stay for 20 seconds and come back. This pose is good for the chest and all kinds of breathing problems. It is good for increasing the flexibility of the limbs. After continuous practice, you can increase the time of staying in the pose to one minute.

Bakasana or the Ox pose.

This is a relaxation pose. It helps to relieve the strain experienced on the spinal cord. Sit with your legs folded, so that both the knees come together and the calf muscles are placed along side, like cows resting. Keep the head straight, but turned towards the direction of the knees. First do the pose on the right side and then on the left side

Naukasana or the boat pose. This pose looks like a boat. To do this pose, lie on your stomach. Stretch your hands in front of you. Breathe in, lift your hands and legs a few inches off the ground. Breathe normally. Stay in the pose for 15 seconds. Do the pose twice. After practising for a month, you can stay in the pose for one minute. This pose helps to stretch the back, and massages it.