Best Yoga Poses to Soothe Lower Back Pain – Pain Relievers

Yoga may even help reduce the need for pain medication.

While yoga isn’t a good idea if you have severe pain, those with occasional soreness or chronic aches may greatly benefit from certain postures that can help lengthen your spine, stretch and strengthen your muscles, and return your back to its proper alignment, says Jennifer Bayliss, a fitness expert in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Yoga’s focus on balance and steadiness encourages your body to develop defenses against the causes of back pain, which include weak abdominal and pelvic muscles, as well lack of flexibility in the hips.

When you strengthen these muscles, you improve your posture, which reduces the load on your back, and thus reduces the aches you feel. In addition, stretching can increase flexibility by increasing blood flow to tight muscles.

And you might even reap the other health perks of yoga, which include lowered heart rate, lowered blood pressure, improved sleep, and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Downward-Facing Dog Will Stretch Your Hamstrings

This classic yoga pose is a great total body stretch that targets back extensors: the large muscles that help form your lower back, support your spine, and help you stand and lift objects.

Try it: Start on your hands and knees, with your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Pressing back, raise your knees away from the floor and lift your tailbone up toward the ceiling. For an added hamstring stretch, gently push your heels toward the floor. Hold the position for 5 to 10 breaths, and repeat the pose five to seven times.

Child’s Pose Elongates Your Back and Relieves Stress

Child’s Pose is relaxing because, by opening your hips and elongating your back, it relieves the tension caused by daily movements. By allowing you to breathe deeply, clean oxygen circulates your body, restoring your energy.

It also increases blood circulation, making your body perform better.

Try it: Start on all fours with your arms stretched out straight in front of you, then sit back so your glutes (butt muscles) come to rest just above — but not touching — your heels. Hold the position for 5 to 10 breaths, and repeat as many times as needed for a good, soothing stretch.

Pigeon Pose Relaxes Hips By Stretching Rotators

Pigeon pose specifically works as a hip opener and forward bend, stretching your thighs, groin, back, piriformis, and psoas. The leg extended to the rear gets a stretch of the psoas and other hip flexors. 

Try it: Start in Downward-Facing Dog with your feet together. Then draw your left knee forward and turn it out to the left so your left leg is bent and near perpendicular to your right one; lower both legs to the ground.

You can simply keep your back right leg extended straight behind you, or for an added hamstring stretch — seasoned Pigeon posers, only! — carefully pull your back foot off the ground and in toward your back. Hold the position for 5 to 10 breaths, then switch to the other side, and repeat as needed.

Triangle Pose Lengthens Torso Muscles to Build Strength

Triangle pose is great for strengthening the back and legs and can help lengthen your muscles along the sides of your torso while stretching the muscle fibers along your outer hip (your IT, or iliotibial, band).

Try it: Start standing straight with your feet together. Next, lunge your left foot back three to four feet, and point your left foot out at a 45-degree angle.

Turn your chest to the side and open up the pose by stretching your right arm toward the ground and the left arm toward the ceiling, keeping both your right and left legs straight.

Cat and Cow Pose Loosen the Back and Warm You Up

Stretching the spine with the cat and cow poses prepares the back so it is more than happy to slide into bendy postures and twists. 

The perfect poses for an achy, sore back, Cow and Cat stretches loosen your back muscles, whether as part of a yoga routine or as a warm-up for another workout.

Try it: Starting in an all-fours position, move into Cat pose by slowly pressing your spine up and arching your back. Hold for a few seconds and then move to Cow by scooping your spine in, pressing your shoulder blades back and lifting your head.

Moving back and forth from Cat to Cow helps move your spine onto a neutral position, relaxing the muscles and easing tension.

Repeat 10 times, flowing smoothly from Cat into Cow, and Cow back into Cat. Repeat the sequence as needed.