5 Yoga Poses To Relieve Low Back Pain

Low Back Pain Is The WORSSTTTT… But we can do something about it.

Low back pain flat out sucks. And unfortunately, A LOT of us experience it. According to the American Chiropractic Association, “One half of working Americans admit to having back pain each year. Low back pain costs Americans an estimated $50 billion a year in health costs.”

 The GOOD NEWS is, we can do something about it! Yoga has been proven to reduce chronic low back pain.

 Yoga appears as effective as other non-pharmacologic treatments in reducing the functional disability of back pain. It appears to be more effective in reducing pain severity or “bothersomeness” of CLBP when compared to usual care or no care. Yoga may have a positive effect on depression and other psychological co-morbidities, with maintenance of serum BDNF and serotonin levels. Yoga appears to be an effective and safe intervention for chronic low back pain” According to The National Institutes of Health.

 So what poses and stretches are best for LOW back pain? Here are 5 stretches to help strengthen your low back and reduce pain.

1.     Cobra Pose- HOW TO: Begin this yoga pose by lying down prone, with tummy on the floor. Place hands under the shoulders, untuck the toes and root through the tops of your feet. Keep elbows tucked in. As you inhale press hands into the mat and lift the chest as the elbow straighten. Lift up until you feel the stretch deepen and the low back engage. Draw the chin and gaze upward to further open the heart. Hold the yoga pose for 15-45 seconds, lowering down on an exhale. BENEFITS: This yoga pose strengthens the spine, relieves sciatica, tightens the booty, opens the heart and chest, and stretches the entire trunk of the body.

2. Bridge Pose- HOW TO: Begin this yoga pose by lying with your back on the floor, knees bent, and soles of the feet on the floor. Walk feet slightly in toward your bottom. On an inhale lift the hips while keeping the knees aligned over the heels. Draw the naval upward and engage the glutes. Hold the yoga pose for up to one minute. You can also explore a supported version by placing a block or bolster under the low back. A supported bridge can be held for up to three minutes. On an exhale lower the bottom and spine back to the floor. BENEFITS: This yoga pose strengthens the neck, chest, shoulders, and spine. Relives back pain, anxiety, and fatigue.

3. Wheel Pose- HOW TO: (Note this is a more advanced yoga pose. Bridge is the gentler version of this pose. Replace this yoga pose for bridge if you don’t have the strength yet to do wheel) To begin this pose, lie supine on the floor with knees bent and soles of the feet on the floor. Heels should be as close to your bottom as possible. Bend elbows and place hands on the floor next your head. Fingertips should be facing the heads of your shoulders. Lift the hips and head up as you straighten the arms. Open the heart and let the head release back. Stay in this yoga pose for 10-15 seconds and repeat the pose up to three times. BENEFITS: This yoga pose stimulates the thyroid and pituitary gland, strengthens the chest and shoulders, and is also therapeutic for back pain, infertility, and osteoporosis.

4. Standing Forward Bend- HOW TO: Stand upright with feet shoulder/ hip width apart. Inhale to swing the hands out and up. The on an exhale swing the arms out and away as you hinge from the waist and fold the chest over the legs, allowing your upper body to hang. Allow your head and arms to hang, you can grab the elbows if that is more comfortable. This yoga pose can be held for up to one minute. BENEFITS: This yoga pose is therapeutic for sinusitis and back pain, stretches the hamstrings and calves, calms the brain, helps relives stress and mild depression.

5. Sphinx Pose- HOW TO: Lying prone with tummy on the floor, place your forearms down in front of you. Resting upright on your forearms stack the shoulders over the wrists. Roll the heads of the shoulders back to broaden through the chest. Lengthen your tailbone toward your heels, stretching the toes toward the wall behind you. Lightly draw your belly away from the floor to deepen the pose. You can hold this yoga pose for 5- 10 breaths and repeat if you’d like. BENEFITS: This yoga pose stretches the spine and relieves stress. Strengthens chest and lungs.

If you incorporate these poses into your daily routine, you feel relief for your low back pain! These are just a FEW yoga poses that target the back. There are many more extremely helpful yoga poses out there for low back pain. A great resource is YogaJournal.Com where you can find poses based on muscle group. I hope you found this helpful!

Lots of Love, Light, & Good Vibes Always,

-Rachael