The shooting pain of sciatica is often caused by misalignment of the vertabrae or pelvis and can be aggravated by tight muscles and inflexible connective tissues, conditions which manifest when the body tries to protect the injury by "holding on" and preventing movement in the area. With a gentle and relaxed approach to yoga poses that target this area, one can begin to realign the body and relieve pain.
Tortoise Pose (Kurmasana)
With the soles of the feet together, slide the hands under the calves, placing the palms on the tops of the feet. Move the feet forward so that the legs take a diamond shape and the elbows rest on the floor. Let the back round and the forehead come to the heels. Completely relax into the posture, rounding the back, stretching through pelvic region, and releasing the sacrum.
Breathe slowly, holding the exhale out for slightly longer than normal. There should be no muscular activity in the body. If the sciatic pain is in the low back, this pose should feel very soothing. If it runs through the leg beneath the buttocks, the groin stretch may be very intense. Try coming in and out of the pose a few times. Do not overstretch.
Bound Angle Pose (Badakonasana)
The soles of the feet come together in front of the pelvis with the hands bound around the toes. Pull the feet in close to the pelvis. Using the leverage of the hands, lift the heart forward and root the sit bones firmly into the floor. Try to let the knees relax naturally to the floor; never force them down.
This pose stimulates the nervi plexi of the coccyx and sacral area and deeply stretches the groin and hips, increasing circulation in the area. You may fold forward in this pose, leading with the heart and keeping the back flat, elbows on the thighs. This may ease pressure in the sacral area for those whose sciatica runs through the low back.
Head-to-Knee Pose (Janu Shirshasana)
Bring the left foot into the pelvis and extend the right leg, strongly flexing the right foot towards the body. Inhale your hands overhead and fold forward on the exhale as far as you can with a flat back. Take hold of the leg where you can or take a yoga strap and wrap it around the ball of the right foot. By keeping the back straight, you intensify the stretch through the low back. If you relax and let the head drop over the right leg, the back will round and open the entire spine. Repeat on the opposite side.
If your sciatica runs through the low back, it is recommended that you begin with the relaxed variation of this posture, focusing on rooting the sit bones firmly into the mat and folding the torso over the straight leg. If your sciatic pain runs under the buttocks, do this pose with a flat back and approach it very gently when the leg with the sciatic pain is straight. Never push past your edge and do the pose for short periods of time.
Cobra (Bhujangasana)
Weak lower back muscles can aggravate misalignment of the spine. Gently develop these muscles with repeated back bending exercises in which you can maintain the alignment of the entire body.
For cobra pose, begin face down on your mat, hands spread wide under the shoulders, elbows in close to the ribcage. The feet stay together in this variation. With an inhale, press the hipbones into the mat, engaging your lower abdominals. Lift the heart first and gaze through your forehead, your third eye.
Keep the back of the neck long and keep the chest open by rolling the shoulder blades together and down the back. As the hands press into the mat, keep the elbows in close to the body. Do not push too much weight into the hands, but use your core muscles and lower back muscles to lift into the posture.
You may want to move in and out of this posture with the breath, inhaling as you lift and exhaling as you lower back down. Gradually build up to holding the pose for several breaths.
Try a variation of cobra with a twist. Let the feet spread hip-width apart and press the hands into the mat slight wider than the shoulders. Come into the pose in a more relaxed way, straightening the arms completely if possible. The abdominals and low back should be more relaxed, by the upper back muscles should still be working to keep the chest open. Inhale as you face forwards and exhale as you twist from side to side, twisting from the low back. This releases tension in the sacrum and develops mobility in the joints and vertabrae of the low back.
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