It’s no secret that a consistent yoga practice can benefit your life across all areas, from mental health, to physical wellness, and everything in between. Yoga is also a great way to relieve pain in specific parts of your body, whether you’re recovering from an injury, dealing with arthritis, or just trying to ward against general aches and pain.
Back pain is a misery that plagues us all, but you don’t need to suffer needlessly. These gentle yoga poses can help alleviate discomfort when your back is out of whack.
Cat Cow (Marjaryasana – Bitilasana)
This gentle backbend/heart opener combo gets the whole spine moving and even targets the neck and shoulders, too.
How to practice:
- Start on your hands and knees, with your wrists stacked beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips
- On your inhale, drop your abdomen towards the mat, opening your chest and lifting your chin towards the ceiling
- On your exhale, push away from your hands and tuck your chin to your chest, lifting your spine like a Halloween cat toward the ceiling
- You can take as much time as you want in these yoga poses, taking several breathes before you move on to the next, and relieving any tension built up in your neck and shoulders
Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
A great total-body stretch, you never quite realize how badly you needed downward dog until you get into it. Stretch the shoulders and back, work out the hamstrings, and let your neck relax in this gentle inversion.
How to practice:
- Start on all fours, curl your toes under, and lift your hips up, keeping your knees slightly bent
- Keep your elbows soft, you never want to lock any joints in any pose
- Push your heels toward the mat, but it’s okay if you can’t flatten your feet here
- Focus on pushing through your shoulders and stretching the hamstrings
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
This heart opener may be simple, but you’ll really feel it if your back is tight, so go easy on yourself and control the depth of the pose as you need. Discomfort is fine, but if you ever feel pain, exit the yoga pose right away.
How to practice:
- Lie flat on your stomach on the mat, hands next to your chest and elbows close to your ribs
- On your inhale, lift your chest up, rolling your shoulders back and away from your neck so as not to compress your neck
- Ensure that your elbows stay glued to your ribs so as not to cause more stress on your shoulders
- Try to relax your lower body here and don’t engage your glutes or legs
- On your exhale, lower yourself back down to the mat and take another full breath before moving on again
Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
Good old forward fold is perhaps the simplest pose on the list, but one of my favorites and instant go-tos for back pain. It’s also great for the hamstrings and shoulders.
How to practice:
- Begin by standing straight with your feet planted firmly on the mat
- On your inhale, lift your arms above your head, and exhale with your arms reaching towards the mat while you hinge forward at your hips
- You can keep your knees slightly bent here if a straight-legged approach is too much for your back right now
- While hanging forward, you can slowly shift your weight into the balls of your feet for a little extra hangtime
- If it feels right, you can wrap your arms around your legs and pull yourself closer to your shins for a deeper stretch
- Alternatively, beginning from standing, you can interlace your fingers behind your back (or hold a strap between your hands), draw your shoulders down, and as you bend forward on your exhale, left the hands up off your lower back as far is as comfortable for a great shoulder stretch
Seated Twist (Parivrtta Sukhasana)
This gentle seated twist yoga pose will help work on the kinks in your lower back, just be sure not to push yourself too deeply into the twist if you’re already feeling sore.
How to practice:
- From a seated position on your mat, extend your left leg out in front of you, bring the right knee toward your chest, and cross your right foot over your left leg
- On your inhale, sit up tall and reach your right hand behind you with your palm flat on the mat
- Exhale and hug your left arm across your right thigh while turning to the right, gazing over your right shoulder
- You can stay here for a few breaths before exhaling forward again and switching sides
Spinal Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana)
This spinal twist is a deeper version of the seated one, using the weight of your legs to pull you further into the pose.
How to practice:
- Lay on your back with your feet flat on the mat and arms out at your sides, palms down
- Drop your knees over to the left, either keeping them stacked or staggering them, depending on what feels best
- You can keep your gaze toward the ceiling or even turn your face to the opposite direction of your knees for an even deeper spinal twist
- Stay here and relax, the mat has got you and you can breathe here for as long as you want
- When you’re ready to switch sides, inhale your knees back to center and exhale to the other side
Step away from the computer, give your mind and body a break, and breathe space into your back with these pain-relieving yoga poses. With consistency, you should be feeling more flexible in your spine and have less chronic back discomfort.
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