More common in women than in men, scoliosis, or bent spine, is the abnormal shape of the spine which can cause back pain.
It can be a heredity condition but is also caused by habitual slouching and bad posture in childhood.
Scoliosis does not hurt during childhood and may therefore not be detected until the late teens or early adulthood.
Regardless, treatment should begin immediately.
The following asanas or poses are recommended: Sphinx Lie on your stomach, face down and place your forearms on the floor beside you.
Inhale slowly, raising your upper body, and support yourself on your forearms by pushing them forward.
Make sure you are comfortable and hold this position, like a sphinx, for a few seconds.
Exhale slowly and lower your body back to the starting position.
Rest at the starting position for a few seconds before repeating the exercise 5 times.
Ustrasana or Camel Pose Kneel down on the floor with the rest of the body straight and your hands by your side.
Now reach back slowly with your hands one at a time to grasp your heels while holding your hips forward and your head back.
Hold this pose for about 30 seconds and slowly return to the kneeling position to complete one round.
You should repeat this 5 times.
Beginners will find this a relatively difficult asana but it is extremely beneficial.
If you find it difficult at first, try to keep your head up instead of letting it stretch backwards.
You should also be aware that since bending over backwards is something we do very rarely if at all, we might feel a little lightheaded or nauseous but this will improve with practice.
A slight variation is to start with the knees wider apart when starting and this gives a deeper stretch.
For advanced yogis, the aim is to rest their heads on the floor between their knees while bending over backwards! Tadasana or Mountain Pose This is a simple standing pose but if you have never done it before, it will surprise you with its effectiveness.
This is a quintessentially yogic exercise which aims to achieve much by apparently doing little.
Stand on your feet with your heels slightly apart and big toes touching.
Raise your toes, spread them out as much as you can, then lay them back down, creating as wide a base as you can.
Make sure your weight is evenly divided over all four corners of both feet and press those corners firmly onto the floor evenly.
Now draw your knee caps and thigh muscles up and accentuate the feeling of solidity by lifting your ribcage up, stretching your hands and fingers straight down along your sides and balancing your head firmly on your spinal column.
This pose promotes confidence and happiness besides improving posture and strengthening the abdomen and legs.