In today’s world, most of us sit all day. And all of that sitting can place an incredible amount of stress and strain on the body. Especially the hips, legs, arms, spine, neck, and shoulders… leading to lower back pain. If you’re reading this blog because you’re looking for a way to relieve lower back pain, you’re not alone. Back pain is incredibly common due to a collective shift towards a sedentary lifestyle. Luckily, we can use pain as an indicator of how our bodies are feeling. And there are a ton of different exercises and yoga for lower back pain that can help your back feel better. When your lower back hurts, it’s a signal from your body to address whatever is making your back feel tight and compressed—giving you an opportunity to make healthy adjustments!
As a certified yoga teacher, I’ve watched how just a few simple postures like the ones outlined here, can completely transform someone’s pain levels. In this blog we’ll cover:
- Causes of lower back pain
- Benefits of yoga for back pain
- 9 of the best yoga poses for back pain
In most cases, a bit of yoga for lower back pain can help relieve tightness in the back region. These poses are accessible to almost every type of body, and if you aren’t able to perform any of the postures, there are modifications you can do to make things easier on your body.
Causes of Lower Back Pain
How common is low back pain? Back pain is so common that roughly 80% of Americans experience lower back pain at some point in their lifetime. In fact, it’s the most common reason that people file for job-related disability. According to a survey of American adults, roughly 25% of Americans report having some kind of low back pain over the past 3 months.
There are different types of lower back pain. Back pain can be categorized as acute pain and chronic pain. Acute pain can last a few days to a couple of weeks. Most acute low back pain is due to a change in the way the spine, muscle, vertebrae, and nerves move.
Chronic back pain is defined as pain that lasts much longer, 12 weeks or longer. Chronic back pain is usually due to an injury. Roughly 20% of people with acute low back pain symptoms will develop chronic low back pain if it goes untreated. [1]
Please share this video with anyone you think would benefit from learning these yoga stretches to relieve lower back pain.
1. Sitting for long periods of time
Unfortunately, most people work a desk job or drive a car where they sit for hours and hours each day. It might not have even dawned on you that there is yoga for lower back pain that can truly help with your pain. When you are sitting for long periods of time, it can lead to major issues in the back, neck, spine, arms, and legs. Since humans have never sat this much in history, the position isn’t natural and forces our spine into positions that it’s not used to. These altered positions can increase pain, especially in the lower back. Slouching in a chair places extra stress on the ligaments in the spine and back. Sedentary lifestyles are a major cause of lower back pain. [1]
Tips on how to keep yourself moving:
- Work at a standing desk
- Try getting up to stretch or move every half hour
- Adjust your posture and avoid slouching while sitting
- Invest in an ergonomic chair or sit on an exercise ball
- Set reminders on your phone or computer to stand up and stretch
If you’re sitting a lot throughout the day, check out our blog for more stretches for people who sit all day!
2. Sprains and strains
If you overdo it at the gym or work, you can easily strain your back and tear ligaments in your lower back. A strain can happen when you twist, overstretch, or lift something that’s too heavy. An abrupt accident or strain can seriously affect how you drive, work, and move. The spine is such an important part of every body function that once you sprain even a tiny portion of it, you can start a cascade effect of back pain.
If you suffered a car accident, injury, played sports when you were younger, or you pulled something recently, it can travel to your lower back and cause back pain. When you are injured, your spine can compress and lead to back pain.
If you recently strained your back, take it easy. Keep your workouts light and make sure to rest. Try practicing yoga for back pain or take a few days to rehab. If you go back to the gym and workout strenuously, you could end up hurting your back even more.
3. Disc degeneration
The degeneration of discs in the spine is one of the most common causes of low back pain. Let’s get on the same page here. Here’s the thing: As we age, it’s natural that the discs in our spine endure wear and tear and break down. The discs in the spine lose hydration over time. Because a healthy spine allows us to flex and bend in the lower back, it’s important that as we age, we keep the fluid in our spine healthy and in movement. [2]
A great way to keep the spine, vertebrae, and tissues in our back and spine healthy and hydrated is by taking a daily collagen supplement. SkinnyFit Super Youth collagen is a simple, easy-to-use way to improve mobility and relieve joint pain and stiffness. SkinnyFit Super Youth collagen is available in a variety of flavors so you can easily incorporate collagen into your daily routine. Some of the most powerful benefits of a collagen supplement are:
- Strengthening tendon and ligaments
- Supporting healthy bones
- Improving flexibility
Collagen is the glue that holds the body together and helps keep our body moving healthy. As our bodies age, our collagen supply diminishes. By taking a collagen supplement, you keep your collagen supply high and help your body recover faster from injury and natural aging.
For more information on how to find the best SkinnyFit collagen for improving flexibility, check out our blog on collagen for joints.
4. Sciatica
Sciatica is a common condition that develops as a result of back pain. The sciatic nerve travels from your booty to the back of your leg. People who suffer from sciatica typically feel pain, numbness, and tingling that radiates along the nerve ending. It typically only affects one leg, but the pain can be extremely uncomfortable. If you are experiencing sciatica, you might greatly benefit from doing yoga poses for back pain. [1]
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Benefits Of Yoga For Back Pain
Yoga is an ancient practice that people have used for millennia to alleviate back pain and increase flexibility.
Practicing yoga for lower back pain has numerous lower back pain benefits, including:
- Building strength and stamina
- Increasing blood circulation
- Improving flexibility
- Maintaining healthy weight
- Improving mind and body connection
- Improving deep breathing
- Building awareness and mindfulness
- Helping with recovery from injury
- Relaxing the mind
- Activating the parasympathetic nervous system
With that said, yoga can also lead to back pain, so it’s important that adults, especially older adults, practice caution with postures—like deep twists and bends. A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine found that the rate of injury during yoga was 8x higher among people ages 65 and older. So if you’re turning to yoga to soothe back pain, make sure to practice with caution. [3]
The best way to approach yoga is to find a few poses that feel good in your body and practice those regularly. Maybe start with a gentle flow of 1-5 yoga for back pain poses in the morning or evening to get your body used to a new stretching routine.
You’ll be amazed at just how flexible your body will become over time. To document your progress, you can take photos or videos and see for yourself just how much more flexible your body can become when you establish a regular yoga practice.
Below are a few of my favorite yoga stretches for quick relief of back pain. Whether you have acute or chronic back pain, these 9 yoga poses can put you on the road towards a happy, healthy back. It all starts with gentle movement!
Best Yoga Poses For Back Pain
Let’s break down the best yoga poses for a healthy back. If you’re in pain, you might feel like moving will do the exact opposite of helping your back, but in reality, light stretching, movement, getting circulation to areas that feel tight is one of the best things you can do for your spine and give your muscles and internal organs a nice, gentle massage.
1. Child’s Pose
Child’s pose is a great, easy pose you can do early in the morning, before bed, or anytime during the day to relax your back muscles!
Here’s how to do it:
- To start, roll out your mat and walk out your knees wider than your mat.
- Bring your toes to touch, walk your hands out in front of you, and extend through them.
- Press into your palms and rock your hips back to your heels.
- Bring your forehead to the ground and bring your hips closer to the ground.
- Take deep breaths in and out, holding the pose for as long feels good.
Why you need it
When you relax the front of your body, you release tension in the back of the body. This pose helps release tightness in the hips, legs, and lower back. It’s a great pose to create space in the spine and provides stress reduction.
2. Cow pose
- Get started on all fours, also known as tabletop.
- Root into your palms and check that your knees directly below your hips.
- Inhale and drop your belly towards the ground, lifting your sitting bone and chin towards the sky.
- Imagine your belly has udders on it and you’re actually a cow dropping your udders closer to the ground.
Why you need it
This stretch brings flexibility into the back and warms up the body. Rounding the spine helps stretch out muscles in the neck and spine. Doing this exercise regularly can help prevent back pain.
3. Cat pose
]Cat pose counteracts the movement and shape of cow pose.
- Begin in tabletop position and root into your palms.
- Exhale and round your spine to the sky.
- Drop your head between your shoulders and look between your legs.
- Imagine that you’re a scared little cat or that you’re making enough room for a gigantic beach ball underneath you.
Why you need it
This is a gentle and easy pose to wake up the spine and bring fluidity into the vertebrae. It can help relax the muscles in the back and the neck.
4. Legs up the wall
To do this pose, find an area where there is enough space for you to rest your legs vertically.
- Walk your legs up a wall and allow your back to relax.
- Breathe deeply in this pose for 5-15 minutes and allow your mind and body to relax.
Why you need it
This posture relieves stress from the lower back and encourages the muscles to relax.
5. Wide legged forward fold
This is one of my favorite poses because it releases all of the tension in my lower back and completely stretches out my back and thighs.
Here’s how to do it:
- Step your feet wide apart with your toes pointing in, so that you’re slightly pigeon toed.
- Bring your hands to your hips and bend forward.
- Walk your fingertips between your feet and let your head drop between your shoulders.
- Draw your shoulders away from your ears.
- Inhale and exhale deeply, and try to stretch deeper into the pose by bending your elbows.
- If you have enough flexibility in your back, walk your hands back until your forearms are perpendicular to the floor and keep your upper arms parallel.
Why you need it
When you lengthen out your ligaments and increase your flexibility you can
6. Fire log pose
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent, and slide your left foot under your right leg outside of your right hip.
- Stack your right leg on top of the left.
- Check to make sure that your shins are stacked directly on top of each other.
- Make sure that your right ankle is outside the left knee.
- If you have the flexibility you can bind your hands behind your back or walk your hands out in front of you.
Why you need it
This pose opens up flexibility in the hips and lower back.
7. Half lord of the fishes
A healthy twist keeps the spine happy and hydrated!
Here’s how to do it:
- Sit on the floor with both of your legs straight.
- Bend your right knee, placing the sole of your right foot on the floor outside the left thigh, as close to the outside of your thigh as possible.
- Hold your right shin just below the knee.
- Sit up straight to lengthen the spine, extending up through the crown of your head.
- Root down through your sitting bones.
- With a deep breath, twist to your right and look over your right shoulder.
- Draw your navel toward your spine as you begin twisting to the right.
- Rotate deep in your belly and focus on twisting your spine.
- Avoid “cranking” your body.
- Keep your chin parallel to the floor.
- When you’re finished, switch out your legs to twist and stretch on the other side.
Why you need it
This pose helps you create space between the vertebrae and improve your posture. The opposing actions of lifting up and twisting help improve spine health.
8. Standing forward bend
Simple but effective, this is one of my favorite back stretches to do throughout the day. It’s super easy, and can relieve pain.
Here’s how to do it:
- Stand with your feet hips width distance apart.
- Bend forward from the hips, keeping your back straight.
- Focus on lengthening the torso and back as you move into the stretch.
- Let your head hang and grow heavy.
- Energetically try to bring the top of the thighs to the hip joints, not from the waist.
- If this causes any discomfort in your back, try practicing with your knees bent.
Why you need it
This therapeutic pose helps take off any pressure from the lower back and loosens up the spine. Doing this stretch a few times throughout the day helps calms the mind and rejuvenates the legs.
9. Bridge pose
This pose seems to always help when my lower back is feeling tight.
Here’s how to do it:
- Lie with your back on the floor.
- Bend both knees and place the soles of your feet on the floor.
- Walk your heels close to your butt.
- Press into your feet and lift up your pelvic area and strengthen through your thighs and buttocks.
- Stay in the pose, keeping active through the entire lower body, for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Why you need it
This is a great pose to relieve tightness in the chest, neck, and spine. Staying in a bridge position helps calm the mind and relieve stress.
The Bottom Line On Yoga For Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is incredibly common and if you are struggling with chronic or acute pain, it might be time to start stretching or creating a yoga for lower back pain routine that can stretch out your back throughout the day. Of course, if you suffered a severe injury, speak with a medical professional before starting any new workout routine. Once you find yoga for back pain postures that improve your flexibility and movement, share them with our Facebook community. Your suggestions may inspire or help someone prevent or alleviate pain.