Yoga is a fantastic way to keep your back healthy and happy. A mixture of both strengthening and stretching, yoga can help improve posture, lessen back pain, and give you better overall flexibility. 

Whether you’re dealing with chronic back issues or just want to keep your spine in good shape, incorporating yoga into your routine can be a great place to start.

The Importance of a Healthy Back

Think about it: your back supports your body in everything you do. It helps you walk, lets you sit, and even aids you in twisting and lifting! A strong, flexible back lets you have good posture, but most importantly, it also helps prevent injuries. 

Yoga offers a holistic approach to back care by combining physical postures, breathing exercises, and mindfulness. Your muscles get strengthened, which gives your spine the support it needs. At the same time, yoga promotes deep relaxation that can reduce stress, which can often make back pain worse.

Gentle Movements to Loosen Up

Like with any form of exercise, you have to limber yourself up before you jump right into it. Warm up your back with gentle movements, such as a few minutes of cat-cow stretches. This is where you start on your hands and knees, as though about to crawl. Then, inhale and arch your back—or, to think of it another way, drop your stomach and raise your head. This is the cow pose. When you exhale, round your spine and tuck both your chin and tailbone under to get to cat pose (think of a mad cat arching its back up!). 

Take your time, use long, drawn-out breaths, and continue this stretch for a few minutes. This will help you increase your spine’s flexibility and also prepare your muscles for deeper stretches and strengthening exercises.

Strengthening Exercises for a Resilient Back

Try these yoga exercises to help strengthen the muscles in your back:

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Downward-facing dog is one of the best-known yoga poses, and it’s a great way to strengthen your back.

On your hands and knees, with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips, start by lifting your hips toward the ceiling. Straighten your legs as you do so so that you end up in an inverted V-shape. Try to keep your shoulders away from your ears, and if you can, put your heels on the floor (you can always go on tip-toe until your ankles get more flexible). Take 10 or so breaths in the position, focusing on keeping your back still and elongated. 

Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

If you want to target your lower back muscles, give this one a try.

Lying face down with your arms alongside your body (palms also facing down), take a breath. When you do, lift your arms, chest, and legs off the floor to engage your back muscles. Try to keep your neck in the same line as your spine, which should now have a gentle backward curve to it. Hold for 5 or so breaths, then release and give yourself a rest. Try to do this a few times each time, and once it becomes easy to do, hold it for longer.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

Start on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart, nice and close to your backside. Place your arms alongside your body with your palms down, and then when you’re ready, inhale and press your feet into the floor to lift your hips toward the ceiling. This engages your glutes and back muscles. To open your chest, you can also interlace your fingers under your back. Hold it for around 10 breaths before slowly lowering back down to the ground. Similarly to the previous exercise, do this one a few times, and once it’s easy, try holding it for a longer time each time you do it.

Stretching Exercises for Flexibility and Relief

Here are some good yoga stretches your back will love:

Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child’s pose is greatly restorative, and gently lengthens your spine while relieving tension. Starting on your hands and knees, bring your big toes together and sit back on your heels. Spread your knees wide as you put your arms forward to allow you to rest your head on the ground. Breathe deep, and allow you—and your back—to relax. This is a great one to stay in for a few minutes, and you can always use it as a resting place in between other stretches and exercises as well. It allows your back to recover before moving on to the next pose.

Sphinx Pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)

For a gentle backbend that stretches the lower back while opening your chest, lie on your stomach with your legs out and your feet hip-width apart. With your elbows under your shoulders and forearms parallel to the ground, press your palms into the ground and lift your chest and upper torso up. Think of the Sphinx in Egypt as you look forward with a nice, long neck, and hold it there for 10 breaths. 

Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)

Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you, flex your feet, and sit up tall. Reach your arms up, and when you exhale, bend at the hips to try to reach for your feet, ankles, or shins—whatever you can reach! Try not to round your back but instead keep it flat and hold it for a solid 30 seconds so your back can get a good stretch.

Sometimes, your back needs a little more attention than just some strengthening and stretching exercises. That’s where our team at Mobility Bone & Joint Institute can help. Contact us or come visit us at one of our locations in Massachusetts or New Hampshire to find pain relief today.