10 Best Yoga Poses for Back Pain Relief

By Jola @YolaYoga | February 25, 2022

If you dealing with back pain yoga might be just what you need. The system of yogic stretches has been proven to be one of the best therapeutic alternatives for alleviating back pain. Research shows that yoga can reduce chronic back pain, improve mobility and reduce the need for pain medication.

Even doing yoga just for 10 minutes a day can have a tremendous impact on your body and mind.

Let’s explore which yoga poses are best for back pain relief. For best results, do them in the order it is presented in this article.

10 Best Yoga Poses for Back Pain Relief

1. Cow / Cat Pose – Viralasana

Benefits: Practicing this pose stretches your torso, shoulders, and neck. The cow/cat pose improves blood circulation between the vertebrae of your spine and helps in relieving back pain and stress.

1. Come to your hands and knees. Place your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. As you inhale drop your belly. Let your tailbone reach toward the ceiling and keep your chest wide. This is Cow – the image on the left.
2. To come into Cat from Cow, exhale. Press into your hands evenly and round through your upper back. Draw your chin to your chest and round through your spine.
3. Continue to move with your breath, alternating between Cat and Cow to create movement in your spine. Keep the awareness on the spine. Do this for at least 1 minute.

2. Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana

Benefits: This pose calms the mind and helps to relieve stress. It also stretches the back, shoulders, hamstrings, and calves.

1. To start come toyour hands and knees. Spread your fingers wide on the floor. Make sure your hands are shoulder-distance apart. Tuck your toes under.
2. To come to position press into the palms and lift your hips up and back to create a “V” shape with your body. Press the heels down toward the floor.
3. While in pose straighten your arms and roll the inner part of the elbow forward while pressing evenly through all fingers. Allow the head to release down. Look toward feet. Bring the awareness to calf or hamstrings.Take 10 breaths.

3. Triangle Pose – Trikonasana

Benefits: Triangle may help alleviate backache, sciatica, and neck pain. It stretches the spine, hips, and groin, and strengthens the shoulders, chest, and legs.

1. Begin with comfortable wide stand. Turn your right foot 90 degrees out and your left foot slightly in. Bring the right heel in line with the left heel.
2. On the exhalation shift your hips to the left and tilt your torso to the right while reaching to the right side as far as you can. Let your right palm come down to rest either on your thigh, shin or on the floor. Reach straight up with your other hand. Keep the torso aligned with hips. The back heel is pressing to the floor. Keep the knees straight and lift the knee caps up. Gaze towards the raised hand.
3. Lengthen through both sides of your waist. Bring the awareness to the hip and side of torso. Hold the pose for 1 minute. Repeat 2x.

4. Sphinx Pose – Bhujangasana II

Benefits: The pose strengthens the spine and buttocks. It stretches your chest, shoulders, and abdomen.

1. Lie on your stomach with your legs extended behind you. Bring your elbows under your shoulders with your forearms on the floor and your palms facing down. Align the elbows with shoulders.
2. Keeping the forarms on the floor slowly lift up the chest and head.
3. Engage the muscles of your lower back, buttocks, and thighs to support your back.
4. Ensure that you’re lifting up through your spine and the crown of the head.
5. Stay in this pose for up to 3 minutes.

5. Cobra – Bhujangasana

Benefits: Practicing this pose strengthens the spine and the back. It may also help to relieve stress and fatigue that can accompany back pain.

1. Lie facedown on your mat. Bend your elbows and place your palms flat on the floor alongside your lower ribs so that your elbows are stacked directly over your wrists. Keep legs together.
2. On an inhalation, press into your hands and use the muscles of your lower back to lift your chest off the ground. Keep your shoulders relaxed away from your ears as you draw them back and down.
3. Start to work your arms toward straight, but stop as soon as you feel your shoulders raising toward your ears. Take 5 to 8 breaths and come down. Repeat 2 more times.

6. Locust Pose – Salabasana

Benefits: This pose strengthens your spine, glutes, and thighs. It stabilizes your core and lower back. It also improves flexibility in your hips.

1. Lie face down on your mat with your arms next to your torso and your palms facing up.
2. Place the hands underneath the pelvis with palms up.
3. Place the chin on the floor.
4. Slowly lift both legs up to the ceiling.
5. Remain in this pose for 10 breaths.
6. Rest before repeating the pose.

7. Bridge – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

Benefits: Bridge pose stretches the spine, relieving pain and tension.

1. Lie on your back. Bend your knees. Place your feet flat on the ground, hip distance apart and parallel to the side of the mat. Stack your knees directly over your ankles. Place your arms alongside you, palms face down.
2. Inhale, press down into your feet to lift your hips up toward the ceiling.
3. Roll your shoulders toward each other underneath you. Interlace your fingers. Open chest toward ceiling. Engage buttocks.

Modifications: If you have lower back issues, try turning this into a restorative pose. To do so, place a block on its low or medium height underneath your sacrum, the boniest part of the back of your pelvis.

8. Half Lord of the Fishes – Ardha Matsyendrasana

Benefits: This twist stretches and lengthens your spine, relieving pain and tension.

1. Seat straight with legs extended in front of you. Bend you right knee and place your right foot over your left thigh and set it on the outside of left leg.
2. Bend your left leg and the heel toward right sit bone. Sit tall.
3. Place your right hand behind you and lift left hand to the ceiling.
4. As you exhale, twist to the right and bring your left elbow to the outside of your right knee.
5. Hold for 1 minute and repeat on the other side.

9. Reclined Twist – Jathara Parivartanasana

Benefits: This restorative pose helps with mobility in the spine and back. It stretches the spine, back, and shoulders. Practicing this pose can help relieve pain and stiffness in your back and hips.

1. Lie on your back. Draw your both knees to the chest.
2. Have your arms extended to the side.
3. Slowly bring both legs to the left side while keeping your knees as close together as possible.
4. Turn your head and look to the right.
5. Focus on breathing deeply in this position.
6. Hold this pose for at least 30 seconds.
7. Repeat on the opposite side.

10. Child’s Pose – Balasana

Benefits: This pose calms the mind and draws the attention inward. If you need a break at any point during your practice, return to this pose. It lengthens and stretches your spine, promoting flexibility in your hips, thighs, and lower back.

1. Begin by coming to your hands and knees. Separate your knees wider than your hips and bring your big toes together. Sit back onto your heels.
2. Allow your belly to drop between your thighs as your ribs rest on the inner thighs. Bring your forehead to the floor. Keep your arms alongside you.
3. Close your eyes and bring awareness inward. Hold for 5 minutes.

Modifications: If it is difficult to sit back on your heels, place a rolled towel or blanket under the ankles and sit on that. You can also place a cushion or bolster under your thighs, chest, and forehead to create better support.

Conclusion

If you experience back pain, the poses above may help you relieve pain and feel better. The most important is to do these poses with ease, and gentleness.

You can start yoga practice at home with as little as 10 minutes per day. You can use the articles we provide here on this website or contact us for a virtual yoga session.

If you have chronic back pain that lasts longer than a month it is best to see a doctor or a physical therapist.

Namaste.

Jola at YolaYoga