Whole Living Daily

This yoga pose, called Standing Pigeon, may help ease sciatica.

If you've ever suffered from shooting pains in your glutes, outer hips or down your leg, you know firsthand how unwanted the conversation between you and your sciatic nerve can be. It’s a literal pain in the rear.

The best way to describe it? Like hitting a tooth nerve with ice cream, only it covers more ground. In other words: it's not fun. If you haven't felt this uniquely debilitating sensation that is unfortunately democratic enough to crop up in anyone at any time, you'll be smart to try and avoid it at all costs.

Some common ways that trigger sciatic discomfort is sitting for long periods. But the more active among us aren't immune, either. Repetitive movement of the legs and hips like running, cycling and even walking can also agitate the nerve.

As someone who used to be unable to get out of bed some days because any upright motion would fire the sciatic nerve, seize the legs, and topple me over, I can tell you this: Yoga is a powerful tool that can help release you from this nagging condition, as well as prevent it from rearing (pun intended) its head in your daily life. I tried everything to get rid of my chronic condition, but yoga is the only thing that banished it for good.

What Is the Sciatic Nerve, Exactly?
Your sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body, an electric express lane that runs out of your sacrum, wraps around the side of your pelvis, and travels the length of your leg in the back. It's one of the great conductors of movement within your lower body, helping you stand and walk. It's also easily compressed by the often tight muscles that surround it.

One main culprit of sciatic pain is the piriformis, a muscle that runs from your sacrum to the top of the thigh bone, and is sometimes pierced by the sciatic nerve, but more often lies directly over it. When this muscle is overused and under-stretched, as it is in many people, it can begin to press on the nerve and cause distress signals to fire. Other areas where tension can translate to nerve pain are the lower back, sacrum, buttock muscles and the fibrous IT band along the side of the leg.

The stretch that follows targets all of these places and more, giving you a sweet release for the hips and legs, and the insurance you need against future flare-ups.

TRY IT: Standing Pigeon
You can do this move at work while sitting, or for more of a workout, just bend your standing leg like the image shown above.

Cross one ankle over the opposite knee. Opening your bent knee to the side, sit down a little deeper and with a straight spine, lean your torso forward until you feel a stretch deep in the bent leg’s hip.

Hold here for 5-10 breaths if standing, and aim for 1-2 minutes if seated.

NOTE: Never force a yoga pose when there's pain. Talk to your doctor about any recurring or disabling pain and before attempting a new fitness regimen.

Sadie Nardini is the founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga in New York City and the creator of the bestselling Total Body Transformation DVD series. For more information about Sadie or to access her free yoga videos and tips, go to SadieNardini.com