Say Goodbye to Back Pain with These Yoga Poses

When it comes to yoga, one of the most common things you’ll hear is that you should start with a foundation. What this means is that if there’s any specific pose that you’d like to be able to do well, focus on getting a good foundation first. 

In other words: don’t try to get into those crazy arm balances if you can’t even do basic standing poses well! Instead, try starting with these simple but effective back pain-busting stretches.

Takeaways
– Yoga is a safe and effective way to alleviate back pain.
– Many yoga poses can help improve spinal mobility, strengthen the muscles that support the spine, and promote relaxation.
– Practicing yoga regularly, under the guidance of a qualified instructor, can help you manage chronic back pain and enjoy better overall physical and mental health.
– Resources such as articles from Healthline and Greatist offer more detailed information and guidance on using yoga for back pain relief.
– If you’re struggling with back pain, consider giving yoga a try to see how it can help alleviate your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Child’s Pose

Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position, with your knees directly below your hips, and hands below your shoulders.

Bring your big toes together so they touch each other while keeping heels apart.

Relax through the back of the neck as you press the head down toward the floor; keep upper back flat or slightly arched as you do this step (but don’t round or hunch). Also relax arms in alignment with shoulders and elbows touching wrists—this is not a vigorous pose!

On an exhale, extend legs straight out behind you until fully extended but not locked at ankles; rest tops of feet on ground with soles facing up toward ceiling (or place them on blocks if this is too difficult). 

This is called “full expression” for child’s pose because it involves extending both legs straight back over buttocks rather than resting on tailbone only like traditional child’s pose does.”

Detail	Description
Name	Child’s Pose
Sanskrit Name	Balasana
Description	A gentle, calming pose often used as a resting posture in many yoga practices. The pose is performed on the hands and knees, with the forehead touching the ground.
Benefits	Releases tension in the back, shoulders, and neck. Can help relieve stress and anxiety, and promote relaxation.
Cautions	Those with knee or ankle injuries should be cautious, and can use a folded blanket or bolster under their knees for support.
Variations	Extended Child’s Pose with the arms extended forward, and Wide-Knee Child’s Pose with the knees spread apart.

Cat-Cow Pose

Cat-Cow is a great pose for your spine, shoulders, neck and hips. It also helps to open up your chest and stretch out your hamstrings.

Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and knees directly below your hips.

Curl up into a cute little kitty cat shape by rounding both the upper back and the lower abdomen toward each other (like a cat arching its back). 

Then release this rounded position by gently pulling down on the front of each shoulder blade as you lift up from the tailbone (like an upside down cow). 

This will make you look like an angry baby tiger! Just kidding  it’s supposed to feel like a happy kitten! Repeat several times until you get into it.

Now make yourself into an upside down cow by arching both ankles away from each other as if they were tied together with string (you won’t need any string for this exercise!). 

This will raise one leg higher than the other; so repeat these steps several times until that leg is almost completely straightened out behind you.

Downward-Facing Dog

Downward-Facing Dog, also known as Adho Mukha Svanasana, is a great pose for stretching the hamstrings and strengthening the arms. 

You can hold this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to one minute, depending on your flexibility level. If you want to stretch even further, try lifting one leg at a time off the floor while keeping your hips square and parallel (don’t let them rotate out).

This pose is particularly beneficial because it encourages blood flow throughout your body, which relieves stress and helps you relax. 

In addition to reducing stress levels, this pose strengthens muscles in your back that otherwise wouldn’t get much attention during everyday activities like walking or sitting in an office chair all day long—and there’s no better time than now!

Detail	Description
Name	Downward-Facing Dog
Sanskrit Name	Adho Mukha Svanasana
Description	An inversion pose that involves balancing on the hands and feet with the hips in the air. The hands are shoulder-width apart and the feet are hip-width apart.
Benefits	Strengthens the arms, shoulders, and core. Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and spine. Can help relieve stress, anxiety, and depression.
Cautions	Those with wrist or shoulder injuries should be cautious, and can modify the pose with the support of blocks or a strap.
Variations	Three-Legged Downward-Facing Dog with one leg lifted off the ground, and Puppy Pose with the arms extended forward and resting on the ground.

Locust Pose

Locust Pose is a great way to open up the back and stretch the hamstrings. The pose is also known as Salabhasana and comes from the Sanskrit words sala meaning “locust” and bhasana meaning “pose”.

In order to do this pose, you will need to lie on your stomach with your legs stretched out behind you. Pressing down into your arms, slowly lift your chest off of the ground while keeping your forehead on the mat/floor. 

This may be a little difficult at first because it requires strength in both arms, but once you get used to it there are several variations available if you’re interested in trying them out! 

It’s important that when doing Locust Pose you only go as far as feels comfortable no matter how flexible or strong you think you are! Otherwise there could be some serious injury risks involved such as torn ligaments or pulled muscles (yikes).

Bridge Pose

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

This pose strengthens the spine, back and abdominal muscles. It also stretches the chest and shoulders, improving posture. 

The bridge pose is a resting pose so it is a good idea to hold it for a few breaths before moving into another pose.

Seated Spinal Twist

This is a great pose to practice at the end of your workout, as it helps you relax and stretch out.

• How to do it: Sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you, feet together. Place both hands on the floor beside your hips, palms down.

• Benefits: This pose can help ease back pain, increase your flexibility and improve circulation throughout the body.

• How long to hold for: Hold for about 1 minute or until you feel refreshed for maximum benefit.

Supine Twist, Legs Up the Wall

Supine Twist, Legs Up the Wall: This pose stretches the spine and hips, which can help relieve lower back pain. 

You can do this pose with your back on a wall or a yoga bolster (or block), or you can place your knees bent and feet on the floor.

If you’re working with an injury, it’s best to avoid deep twists until you’re confident in doing so without straining your body. If that doesn’t work for you, pick another pose from our list!

Detail	Supine Twist	Legs Up the Wall
Name	Supine Twist	Legs Up the Wall
Sanskrit Name	Supta Matsyendrasana	Viparita Karani
Description	A gentle twist that involves laying on the back with one leg crossed over the other and twisting to the opposite side.	A restorative pose that involves laying on the back with the legs extended up the wall, forming an L-shape with the body.
Benefits	Supine Twist stretches the back and spine, improves digestion, and can help with mild back pain. Legs Up the Wall can help relieve stress, anxiety, and fatigue, and improves circulation.
Cautions	Those with knee or hip issues should use extra caution with Supine Twist, and can use a bolster or block for support. Those with eye or neck issues should be cautious with Legs Up the Wall.
Variations	Half Supine Twist with one leg extended and the other crossed over, and Twisted Root Pose with the same twist but with the foot anchored to the ground. For Legs Up the Wall, Viparita Karani with a bolster under the hips or Shoulderstand with the legs extended up the wall can be variations.

Sphinx Pose

To get into the pose, start on all fours with your knees below your hips and hands slightly in front of the shoulders. 

Make sure to keep a straight line from your head to tailbone. From here, bend each arm and bring it under the body so you can grab the opposite ankle with each hand.

Raise up onto your toes while looking up toward the ceiling or tilting back slightly so that you’re balancing on your elbows and forearms instead of palms. You want to aim for having 90 percent of your weight in this position, not just using gravity as assistance but really working at it!

Then take five deep breaths before slowly coming out of the pose by lowering yourself down onto all fours again (or lying down if that’s too much). 

Take another five deep breaths here before getting up completely and moving on with whatever else you were doing before starting this sequence!

Cobra Pose

To get into this pose, you’ll need to lie down on your stomach with your hands under the shoulders and elbows directly below the hips. 

You can also place them by your sides if they’re too far back and are causing discomfort in the shoulders or neck. Then, push up into a seated position as you exhale, bringing yourself up slowly so that you don’t feel any strain in the lower back or neck.

When Cobra Pose is done correctly, it’s easy to see why this one is so beneficial for those with lower back pain! 

The muscles in the abdomen will stretch out from having an extended range of motion while lying on your stomach; these same muscles will then contract when coming up off of the floor into an upright position after doing Cobra Pose for several breaths this contraction helps increase circulation to those areas where there may be tightness or tension due to consistent sitting throughout most days at work. 

You’ll also benefit from strengthening muscles throughout your upper body when performing this pose because it requires both arm strength as well as upper body flexibility; since many people spend hours every day hunched over computers (or even just reading books!) 

without moving much beyond arms reaching forward while typing away at keyboard keys—holding ourselves upright becomes harder over time because our bodies aren’t accustomed

The only negative aspect of Cobra Pose involves low blood pressure due

Bow Pose

To do Bow Pose:

Start on the floor with your feet together, knees bent, and arms resting at your sides.

Bend your knees until they are directly under your hips. Your shins should be parallel to the floor and about 12 inches away from it.

Inhale to lift your chest up as you roll on top of your shoulders. Lift up from the back of the head so that it isn’t touching the mat anymore. 

The idea is to create an arch with your body; this helps open up your chest and stretch out muscles in the lower back region that are often tight due to sitting hunched over a computer for hours on end (guilty!).

Hold for 30 seconds–one minute then slowly return to starting position by rolling down one vertebrae at a time until you reach flat feet again with knees bent underneath hips.

Half Moon Pose With Bound Angle Stretching Legs Behind You

Start on your hands and knees.

Lift your right leg, bend the knee so that it touches the outside of your right arm, then straighten it behind you (you may have to move your hips back a bit). Reach around with both arms and clasp hands if possible.

Breathe deeply into the pose for three to five minutes before switching sides, or hold this position for up to 30 seconds if you’re new at this exercise!

Conclusion

The benefits of yoga are endless and can improve your quality of life in many ways. If you’re looking for a way to reduce stress, combat chronic pain, or just stay in shape, then this is a great place to start!

 As always, please consult with your doctor before starting any new exercise program.