fcp
Yoga for Back Pain

Yoga for Back Pain

Navigation

Yoga for Back Pain

Regularly practicing yoga can help ease many different kinds of back pain, while strengthening your core and back for better physical health. With targeted yoga postures that stretch and lengthen your spine, you can use yoga for lower back pain, as well as upper back and neck pain.

Benefits of Yoga for Back Pain

Yoga can help reduce lower back pain, middle and upper back pain, and neck pain, by stretching the muscles around your hips, spine, and neck, and strengthening your core muscles for better flexibility, mobility, and balance.

How yoga helps with back pain
  • Stretches and lengthens the spine
  • Strengthens core and back muscles
  • Improves flexibility and mobility
  • Reduces stiffness
  • Alleviates stress and tension

Who it's for:
  • Beginner to advanced yogis
  • Anyone with low, middle, or upper back pain
  • Anyone experiencing chronic stiffness and muscle pain
  • Anyone experiencing neck pain

Who it’s not for:
  • Patients recovering from a recent back, spine, or neck surgery

Can Back Pain Be Cured By Yoga?

It is possible to reduce back pain through a regular practice of yoga, since it so effective for increasing mobility and flexibility. Yoga requires movement that stretches and stabilizes your back, releasing tension and healing chronic lower, middle, and upper back pain.

Tips and Precautions on Yoga for Back Pain

If you’re taking beginners yoga for back pain and you’re new to this activity, it’s important to remember to take it easy. Talk to your doctor and find out if yoga is a safe activity for you, especially if you have a herniated disc or spinal fracture. Make sure you inform your yoga instructor about any specific limitations, and avoid any yoga poses that cause pain. 

1-on-1 Yoga Coaching Tailored to Your Needs – Try a Free Session!
Receive step-by-step live guidance to help you achieve your unique goals in a judgment-free space—no credit card required.

Looking to practice Yoga for Back Pain ?

Drop your email in the field below, and we'll let you know as soon as we've added a Yoga for Back Pain !

How to Practice Yoga for Back Pain

The best yoga positions for back pain involve bending, twisting, and stretching your spine and back muscles. The right yoga moves will release tension from your back and relax aching muscles, giving you much-needed relief. Here are a few yoga exercises for back pain you can try:

Yoga Poses for Back Pain

1. Cat-Cow

Cat-Cow Pose

This beginners pose is safe and easy to practice at home to relieve low, middle, and upper back pain.

Start with your hands and knees on the floor. Inhale and look up, lifting your chin and gently arching your back. As you exhale, drop your chin and look down toward your naval as you curl your spine forward. Continue this movement 5-10 times.

Cat-cow helps stretch and lengthen your spine, improving mobility and flexibility while reducing tension.

2. Downward-facing Dog

Downward-facing Dog

From cat-cow you can move into Downward-facing dog, which is one of the best yoga stretches for lower back pain.

With your hands and knees on the floor, push your hips upward until you are balancing on your hands and feet, and your body resembles an inverted “v” shape. Reach your heels toward the floor, stretching your hamstrings and activating your thighs. Keep your head between your arms, lengthening your side-body as you stretch. Stay here for several breaths.

Downward-facing dog is an effective pose for relieving lower back pain, by stretching hamstrings and calves, and lengthening the muscles in your torso

3. Spinal twist

Spinal twist

This gentle yoga pose gives your back muscles a soft twist, and it’s easy to practice whenever your back feels stiff. This is one of the best yoga poses for middle back pain.

Lie on the floor with your knees bent and bring them to your chest. Slowly and mindfully drop your left side while extending your arms outward in a “t” shape. Hold this pose for about 30 seconds while breathing mindfully. Bring your knees back to your chest, and then repeat on your right side.

This easy twist helps restore mobility and flexibility in your back muscles, and it stretches your spine.

Yoga Sequence for Back Pain

  1. Mountain Pose
  2. Standing forward fold
  3. Downward Facing Dog
  4. Plank pose
  5. Sphinx pose
  6. Cat-Cow
  7. Bridge pose
  8. Spinal twist
  9. Seated forward fold
  10. Corpse pose

FAQs

How Often Should I Practice Yoga for Back Pain?

Can I Practice Yoga for Back Pain at Home?

What Type of Yoga is Best for Back Pain?

Should I Perform Yoga If My Back Hurts?

Is Yoga or Pilates Better for Back Pain?

Can Beginners Perform Yoga for Back Pain?

Articles about Yoga for Back Pain
article-cover-url
Hormonal Havoc: 6 Yoga Poses to Help Regulate Your Hormones

This one’s mostly for the ladies. Not that men don’t have hormones too! We know you do.But if you haven’t been told (or told yourself) that you’...

Continue Reading
article-cover-url
Do This, Not That: 10 Yoga Poses to Avoid if You Have Back Pain

A regular yoga routine helps prevent, and even cure, back pain. But only if the routine is full of all the right poses.If you have a back injury o...

Continue Reading
article-cover-url
Bringing Peace to Your Chaos: How Yoga Heals the World

Here at myYogaTeacher, we understand the effects of all the world’s problems on people. We feel them too. And we want to help.Climate change. Wildfi...

Continue Reading
Ratings & Reviews
Pooja
Pooja
Ty🙏

Mon, Nov 18

Neelima
Neelima
Being asthmatic, cardio scares me. This class is a...Read more

Tue, Nov 19

Nita
Nita
Excellent teacher

Wed, Nov 20

Sri
Sri
It was beautiful session with Abhishek sir. Learne...Read more

Tue, Nov 19

Ash
Ash
Wonderful learning session on nutrition and diet, ...Read more

Thu, Nov 21

Melissa
Melissa
Hearing the names of the asanas more frequently wo...Read more

Sun, Nov 17

1-on-1 Yoga Coaching Tailored to Your Needs – Try a Free Session!
Receive step-by-step live guidance to help you achieve your unique goals in a judgment-free space—no credit card required.
Interested in yoga for different results?