Yoga for Back Pain

Lower back pain is one of the most common aches and pains we suffer from. 

There are many potential causes some might be; sitting for long periods, inadequate support while sitting or lying down, and poor posture.

Yoga is great for back pain, as it's low impact and allows you to stretch out the muscles while building strength and flexibility.

Check out the short video working through a yoga sequence specifically put together to help with lower back pain. Even if you don't have lower back pain, this is a lovely sequence to show your spine some love. Give it a go in the morning to help 'wake up' the spine, or just before bed to stretch out the spine after the day and calm the body and mind ready for sleep.

Please be gentle with the video as this was my first video post baby, my ankles are so cracky in Down Dog and I’m pretty sure you can hear baby stirring in the background at least once! 🙈

Postures Include:

Child's Pose:

1. Take the knees wide, bring big toes in to touch

2. Push the bum back to the heels

3. Lower the forehead to the mat, if you can't get the forehead all the way down stack your fists and rest your head there or make use of a block/cushion.

4. Depending on how the shoulders feel, arms can be stretched out ahead of you or you can frame the head with the forearms.

5. Take some nice deep breaths here.

Cat/Cow:

1. Inhale, tilt your pelvis up to, drop the belly down and lift the gaze ahead of you (Cow)

2. Exhale, tuck tailbone under, arch through the spine and drop your head down. You can flex the feet here if you want to. (Cat)

3. Repeat moving with the breath

Sphinx:

1. Lie down on your belly

2. Bring forearms to the mat, elbows directly under the shoulders, palms flat on the mat

3. Inhale, lift up through the crown of the head, gently push the chest forward between the arms. Gaze forwrad.

4. Take a few breaths here.

Down Dog:

1. Come up onto all 4s, fingers wide, fingertips poiting forward, tuck the toes under. Inhale.

2. Exhale push up taking the bum and pelvis high towards the ceiling

3. Imagine you're forming an inverted 'v' shape, don't worry about getting your heels to the mat

4. If the backs of the legs feel tight gently walk out the feet

5. Keep pushing the bum high, gaze between legs, gently push chest towards thighs while pulling belly button in towards spine.

6. Hold for 3-5 breaths.