21 Yoga Exercises for Lower Back Pain

Stretching Lower Back Pain Away with Yoga

By: Morgan Sutherland

Narrated by: Alexander Salamat

If you find yourself sitting or standing for long periods of time, there’s a good possibility that you’ve experienced low back pain at one point or another. If the pain is excruciating, you should always check with your doctor to rule out the possibility of deeper conditions, such as a herniated or bulging disc.

Multiple studies have proven that yoga trumped usual care in a 2011 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. When researchers followed 300 people with low back pain for more than a year, they found that half randomly assigned to do yoga reported better back function during the study.

Another study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that a regular yoga practice was linked to pain relief and improved function and might be worth considering as a form of treatment for people suffering from chronic nonspecific low back pain.

Instead of popping pain pills and opting for invasive surgery, practicing yoga is a cost-effective alternative. Not only is yoga a more comprehensive way to stretch and strengthen the muscles and fascia of the entire body, but it engages all the fascial systems that help to hold everything together, providing stability to the lumbar spine, sacrum, and pelvis. Practicing these 21 yoga poses can help lengthen your spine, stretch and strengthen your muscles, and return your back to its proper alignment.

©2018 Morgan Sutherland (P)2022 Morgan Sutherland

Never Did Yoga

While I personally have more of a martial arts background, I have never done yoga before. I have heard many people tell me how good it was for their muscles and flexibility. I remember discovering that I had an improper spinal alignment back when I was in my mid-twenties which was the cause of all of my back trouble. My chiropractor at the time told me that I never carried myself around as if I had it. Which I must admit that martial arts was something that was perfectly timed and executed. Still having issues with my back, I tried these exercises and now I'm starting to feel my current back issues getting resolved. Like I said, I never did yoga before, but it was recommended by both my chiropractor and the message therapist that was seeing at the time. I think that I might combine it with all of the training that I am doing now.