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  • Home
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Yoga for back pain relief

June 23, 2018 //  by Di Hickman//  42 Comments

Back in March, before our San Francisco trip, I injured my back. I had debilitating pain for a whole week causing limited movement and a realization that this is why people get hooked on pain meds. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I could literally barely do anything. Sitting can hurt. Standing can hurt. Laying down was ok for me.  But only in a few positions,  and no turning over! Simple tasks like brushing my teeth were excruciatingly painful. In yoga training we teacht two simple movements as a spinal warm up which also work as yoga for back pain relief exercises. I still do them daily.

Yoga for back pain relief video

While a picture can say a thousand words, a video is perhaps better for movements. Below is an embedded video for yoga for back pain relief exercises. As always you can find this video on YouTube or on Daily Motion. I have more videos coming soon so ensure you subscribe!

For both of the exercises, smaller movements are encouraged. In the demonstration, the movements are exaggerated so you can clearly see the movement. As the saying goes, less is more. It’s also better to do the movements slowly, so don’t rush. Each exercise should be done for around 1-2 minutes. This means you can sneak in multiple sessions a day for ultimate relief.

Arch and Flatten

Similar to “cat  & cow” poses, but in yoga for back relief we come all the way down to the floor on our backs. This reduces the pressure on our low back, and allows for support. On your back with knees bent, and feet on the floor about hip distance apart arch the low back away from the floor. Then pull the navel to spine, drawing the low back to the floor. Get a sense of this movement coming from the gentle tilt back and forth of the pelvis.

yoga for back pain

This movement can also be done seated in a chair, laying in bed, on all fours or standing. It’s suggested that if you have pain transitioning from seated to standing then do a little of this movement BEFORE standing to mobilize the back and prepare it for stress.

Windshield Wipers

Starting again laying on the floor with knees bent. Place the feet wider than the hips. From the pelvis let the knees gently sway from right to left. Start small as this requires rotation from the pelvis and lumbar spine which may be over stressed already if you have an injury. So start small and go slow.

yoga for back pain

These yoga for back pain exercises should be done for 1-2 minutes each. Preferably multiple times a day. I hope you found this information helpful as it really helped me recover from my own back injury. As usual like, comment and share!

yoga for back pain

Questions

Have you suffered with back pain

Are there any yoga poses you’d like to see covered in a video/post?

What health challenges have you faced this recently?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Toughcookiemommy

    July 1, 2018 at 7:59 am

    I keep hearing such good things about yoga including how it helps with pain and fitness. Maybe it is worth trying out for myself.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      It is, I highly recommend it

      Reply
  2. Khushboo

    June 28, 2018 at 12:25 pm

    Back pain is really miserable. This is very informative and helpful post thanks for sharing this information with us

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:50 pm

      you’re welcome!

      Reply
  3. Blair villanueva

    June 27, 2018 at 9:16 pm

    Thanks for your post, i do need this kind of exercise. If i cant have it, i opt for a massage.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:50 pm

      oooh me too! I like the double whammy of yoga then a massage!

      Reply
  4. David Allen Elliott

    June 26, 2018 at 8:23 pm

    I have back problems now and again. I will have to remember these exercises for when I am having problems with my back. I could definitely use them.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      I think we all have those times!

      Reply
  5. Alaina-Lee Monster

    June 26, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    So glad I’ve read this! I totally fell on my kids trampoline and did something to my back. It hasn’t been quite painful enough to see a Dr. BUT uncomfortable enough to impede my daily activities. I’ll be giving these moves a try!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      please do!

      Reply
  6. Tia McKinzie

    June 26, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    i lie with back pain every day and for a long time i was using it to manage my pain, but then my son was born and there was a long time that i fell away from doing yoga. I need to really start getting back into it

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      yep it’s easy to get out of the habit, but try and schedule some YOU time this week!

      Reply
  7. Marie Kait

    June 25, 2018 at 5:58 pm

    My husband suffers from back pain and I have issues with my SI joint. We stretch together every morning! I’ll have to go over these with him.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      Definitely helps SI issues! Does wonders for my sciatica!

      Reply
  8. Kareen Liez Datoy

    June 25, 2018 at 5:48 pm

    I haven’t tried yoga but this looks like totally relieving. I’ll check this out again when I get back pains.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:48 pm

      yep we all need to get on the floor and do more rolling around!

      Reply
  9. Sara Drone

    June 25, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    Thank you for this article! I will look into yoga further for myself as well as my husband

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:48 pm

      you’re welcome

      Reply
  10. Kamapala Chukwuka

    June 25, 2018 at 5:43 am

    Hubby suffers from back issues and I know how uncomfortable he can get. He swears by yoga! Thanks for sharing this, very helpful.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:48 pm

      Heck yes! I’ve sufffered with sciatica for years and it really helps that

      Reply
  11. Akamatra

    June 25, 2018 at 4:50 am

    Sitting in a chair half the day my back hurts! This could be just what I need! Thanks for the instructions!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      Yes! I’ll work on a chair yoga routine!

      Reply
  12. Nina

    June 25, 2018 at 4:03 am

    back pain is so body numbing. I will keep this in mind for next time. thank you for sharing this knowledge

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      Ugh it was terrible. Literally couldn’t move without immense pain.

      Reply
  13. Laura Dove

    June 25, 2018 at 2:23 am

    I have extensive back issues, I’ve broken it 3 times and have 6 bulging discs, and gone through so much surgery and more planned, but have recently started yoga! I need to strengthen my back to recover!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:46 pm

      Be careful with back extensions and make sure to tell your yoga teacher your back issues!

      Reply
  14. Wander With Ola

    June 24, 2018 at 11:38 pm

    My husband injured his back once when playing badminton, and the back pain comes again sometimes. I should tell him to do these back pain relief exercises. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:46 pm

      Definitely give it a shot!

      Reply
  15. LiveLoveAndAdventure

    June 24, 2018 at 7:37 pm

    Thanks for these. I love yoga and find that when I’m not working out but pull a muscle, yoga stretches help me so much.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:46 pm

      Yep these two moves saved me when I had back pain

      Reply
  16. Natalie Allen

    June 24, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    I’m sorry you had to experience such pain! I took yoga for a while and really like the hip openers because I carry a lot of stress there. My problem are my knees: I don’t know what the issue is, but my knees hurt a lot and I stopped doing yoga because of that. I miss it! I think these lying down poses are great 🙂

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      Such a shame you haven’t been given alternatives to poses that hurt your knees 🙁

      Reply
  17. Reesa Lewandowski

    June 24, 2018 at 2:37 pm

    My husband suffers from back pain. He does a lot of yoga for his back and it helps!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:45 pm

      Yep I hear this all time as a yoga teacher!

      Reply
  18. Dominique Brooks

    June 24, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    I am taking my first yoga class in years on Tuesday. I am excited! I will have to remember these back-saving moves! Thanks!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      yay! Hope you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  19. Tara

    June 24, 2018 at 8:31 am

    Back pain is definitely terrible. You can hardly move! I know I’ve had this. It is important to strengthen your back with exercises to avoid getting injured.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:44 pm

      I actually have a really strong back, that’s part of my problem.

      Reply
  20. Gibbs

    June 24, 2018 at 7:51 am

    As a sufferer of back pain, I am a bit skeptical on yoga, but will certainly give it a shot. I have tried everything else.

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      Be gentle and go slow

      Reply
  21. Laurie

    June 24, 2018 at 4:46 am

    Every now and again I tweak my back, so I will need to keep these moves in mind. I might do them for the sake of lightly stretching my back. Back pain is absolutely no joke. It’s miserable. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Di Hickman

      July 17, 2018 at 4:43 pm

      We do this every class because it’s great for avoiding pain also!

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Di. A yoga teacher with over 20 years experience in the health and wellness industry. My mission is to give you information so you can be fitter, healthier, stress-free and happier (no, seriously).

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