Have you ever felt that nagging ache in your lower back after a long day at work? Have you tried waking up with stiffness that won’t seem to go away? Well, you’re not alone. As a yoga teacher, I’ve seen this all the time—students coming in with tightness, discomfort, or even chronic pain, often caused by long hours of sitting, stress, or just the way we move (or don’t move) throughout the day.
The good news? You can do something to ease that kind of discomfort. Yoga is one of the most effective and natural ways to ease lower back pain. And the best part is it’s gentle, enjoyable, and is something you can do in a structured, guided setting.
Yoga has been proven as a safe and effective method to reduce low back pain, as long as it is done correctly and under proper guidance. Note, however, that not all yoga poses are recommended for lower back pain relief—some may even worsen your discomfort, especially when done incorrectly. That is why it’s important to join in-person yoga classes with a trained instructor rather than doing it yourself.
Keep in mind that yoga, in general, is not about pushing your body to perform fancy poses—in fact, you don’t need to be “flexible enough” to do yoga. With the assistance of a certified yoga instructor, you will learn about small, intentional movements that can release tension, strengthen the muscles supporting your spine, and help you feel more comfortable in your own body.
Overall, yoga is a natural way to reduce lower back pain, and you won’t need to rely on painkillers or expensive medical treatments. Whether you’re a total beginner or have been practicing yoga for quite a while, there are simple yet powerful poses—along with the right breathing techniques—that can help alleviate that pain.
Low back pain is often the result of our daily habits, posture, and even stress levels. Many people thought the pain was just part of getting older or sitting long hours at work. However, most of the time, it is what we do (or fail to do) on a daily basis that is the culprit.
Yoga works by realigning your posture, strengthening your core, improving flexibility, and helping you release built-up tension in your lower back. With consistent practice, you will learn proper body alignment, correct posture, and mindful movement that will eventually eliminate bad habits that can cause lower back pain.
Here are a few reasons why yoga is a powerful treatment that can relieve aches in the lower back:
Poor posture is one of the main reasons why we experience pain in the lower back, especially for those who sit long hours at a desk working on a computer. Sitting for extended periods, especially when slouching mindlessly, puts a lot of pressure on the spine. When we slouch or lean forward over our keyboards, the spine loses its natural curve, leading to tightness, stiffness, and even chronic pain over time.
Yoga helps by bringing awareness to your posture and gently guiding your body back into health. Performing yoga poses that open the chest, lengthen the spine, and strengthen your back muscles can help restore your body’s natural alignment. The more you practice, the more effortless good posture becomes—both on and off the mat.
Your core isn’t just about abs—it’s the foundation of your posture and spinal support. Weak core muscles force your lower back to take on extra pressure to keep you upright. Without proper core support, your lower back ends up doing all the work; and over time, this added strain often results in discomfort, tension, and even injury.
This is the reason why a strong, stable core is essential for your lower back health. When you practice yoga consistently, it strengthens not just the visible abdominal muscles but also the deep core muscles that support your spine.
Poses like bridge, plank, and even downward facing dog can help strengthen the core. However, it’s crucial to do these with proper guidance of an experienced yoga teacher to help ensure that you are indeed using your core strength and not putting the pressure on your lumbar spine.
Tight hamstrings and hip flexors can also cause lower back pain. When these muscles are stiff, they pull on the pelvis, creating an imbalance that puts extra strain on the lower back. If you sit for long hours without stretching, you will often encounter this tightness in your hamstrings and hips.
Mindful yoga practice gently stretches these tight areas, eventually increasing flexibility and restoring balance to your body. Poses like forward folds, supine twists, and downward-facing dogs can release tension and improve mobility. With constant practice, you will notice improvement and ease in your movements.
Stress plays a huge role in lower back pain. When you’re tense, your muscles tighten—especially in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. By combining mindful movements and breathwork, yoga helps you release both physical and emotional tension, promoting overall health.
Mindful breathing practices, such as alternate nostril breathing and diaphragmatic breathing, activate the parasympathetic nervous system that signals your body to relax. When you practice breath awareness along with mindful movements, you can lower stress levels, relieve back pain, and feel good in general.
Remember that proper guidance is crucial. Attending an in-person yoga class allows you to move safely with expert instruction. It ensures you’re doing the poses correctly and avoiding movements that could worsen the discomfort.
To help you get started with yoga as a remedy for low back pain, I have listed these 10 yoga poses (known as asanas) that can help ease tension on your lumbar spine and alleviate stress that comes with it. Incorporating these poses in your practice or doing them independently a few minutes a day can help relieve the aches in your lower back.
While these poses are relatively simple to perform, it’s essential to seek guidance from a professional yoga instructor especially if this is your first time doing yoga, or if you are unsure on what to do.
Child pose gently stretches the lower back and elongates the whole spine while allowing the lower back muscles to relax. Sitting back on your heels with your belly resting on the thighs and arms stretching forward allows you to decompress the spine. This reduces tension and stiffness that often build up from long hours of sitting at a desk or having poor posture.
This pose also stretches the thighs, hips, and ankles, which can improve overall flexibility and help ease discomfort in the lumbar spine. Along with deep breathing, performing the child pose can calm the nervous system and release any stress-related tension in the back.
What’s more, it’s a simple yet highly effective yoga pose, making it relatively doable even for beginners.
How to perform child pose:
The cat-cow stretch improves spine flexibility and mobility, increases blood circulation, and warms up the back muscles. As you move between arching (cow pose) and rounding (cat pose) your spine, you create a rhythmic motion that helps release tension, reduce stiffness, and promote agility in the lower back.
Cat-cow stretches also strengthen the muscles that support the lower back, helping you assume a better posture. Additionally, syncing your breath with each movement helps relax stress and anxiety. These spinal wave movements are often done at the beginning of a yoga flow practice because they warm up the erector spinae effectively. It’s best to do these stretches slowly and gently to promote relaxation.
How to perform cat-cow stretches:
Twisting the spine is not a common movement in our daily routines, which is why incorporating gentle twists, like the supine spinal twist, is important for spinal health. Most of our daily movements involve forward bending (like sitting or hunching over a desk) or backward bending (like leaning back in chair)—but we rarely rotate the spine.
Over time, this lack of movement can lead to tightness, reduced mobility, and, eventually, lower back pain.
Supine spinal twists are a gentle yoga pose that can help wake up the spine and relieve tight low back muscles. They can also promote better circulation to the spinal disks, help realign the spine, and counteract the effects of prolonged sitting. Plus, twists can increase flexibility in the hips and obliques, which can reduce strain on the lower back.
How to perform supine spinal twists:
Sphinx pose is a supportive and controlled backbend that can help strengthen the back muscles without straining the lower back. When performing the sphinx pose, you can open your chest and engage your lower back muscles without overcompressing the spinal cord. This promotes spinal extension, which can counteract slouching and reduce stiffness.
Besides that, sphinx pose also encourages core engagement and abdominal activation, helping support your lower back. Along with mindful breathing, this pose can reduce stress-related tension that often builds up in the lumbar spine area.
Practicing this pose regularly, and with the assistance of a certified yoga teacher, can increase spinal mobility, improve posture, and create a strong foundation for a healthier, pain-free low back.
How to perform sphinx pose:
Happy baby pose is a gentle lower back stretch and a great asana to decompress the spine while relaxing the spinal muscles. Lying on your back with your knees pulled toward your chest creates a traction effect, releasing the tension and tightness in the lower back area. This pose also stretches the inner thighs, hips, and hamstrings, which can indirectly relieve back discomfort by improving flexibility on the hips and reducing strain on the spine.
Incorporating this pose in your yoga practice can help encourage hip mobility and provide relaxation and restorative benefits. When done correctly, along with proper breathing, the happy baby pose is typically a safe and effective stretch for anyone experiencing low back stiffness or pain.
How to perform happy baby pose:
Performing bridge poses can help strengthen the muscles that support the spine, and this can help relieve any pain in the lower back over time. By lifting the hips and engaging the lower body, including your glutes, hamstrings, and abdominal muscles, bridge pose can help stabilize the low back while promoting spinal alignment and balance.
This pose also encourages gentle spinal extension, which counteracts the adverse effects of prolonged sitting and slouching—two major contributors to lower back pain. And since bridge pose engages the core, it encourages better posture and teaches the body how to properly support the lower back during movement.
When practiced regularly, it can help reduce stiffness, strengthen key muscle groups, and prevent future back pain by creating a strong and stable spinal foundation.
How to perform bridge pose:
Tight hamstrings and hips often contribute to lower back discomfort by pulling on the pelvis and creating an unbalanced posture. Downward facing dog elongates the entire spine while also releasing tension in the lower back, hamstrings, and calves, providing relief to the ache in the low back area.
By gently extending the legs and reaching the hips upward, this pose helps decompress the spine and improve flexibility in the muscles that support the lower back. Also, holding this pose engages the abdominals, shoulders, and back muscles, which are essential for maintaining proper spinal alignment and reducing strain on the lower back.
How to perform downward-facing dog:
Knee-to-chest stretch is one of the most effective back stretches that can help relieve back pains, especially in the lower back area. Also known as the “wind-relieving pose”, it stretches the lumbar spine while applying gentle pressure on the abdomen, a great way to aid digestion and relieve bloating.
By drawing one or both knees toward the chest, this pose decompresses the lower spine, releases tightness in the back muscles, and improves flexibility in the hips. It also promotes relaxation by encouraging deep breathing and activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce stress-related tension in the lower back and any gas-related issues in the stomach.
How to perform knee-to-chest stretches:
Twisting the spine while seated on a chair is part of Iyengar yoga practice, known for its focus on alignment, precision, and the use of props. The seated chair twist provides a supported, controlled spinal rotation that enhances flexibility and releases tension. In Iyengar yoga, you will need access to props like chairs to help you perform the pose efficiently without straining the body. That is why this pose is a safe and accessible option for individuals dealing with lower back discomfort, especially those who sit for extended periods at work.
By twisting the spine while keeping the hips and pelvis stable, this pose counteracts the impact of prolonged sitting and hunching while gently stretching the lower back, obliques, and shoulders. When done properly and consistently, it helps relieve built-up tightness while stimulating circulation to the spine.
How to perform the Iyengar seated chair twist:
Folding forward allows gravity to lengthen the back of the legs and spine, which is why performing the standing forward fold pose helps decompress the lower back, reduce stiffness, and improve hamstring flexibility. The inversion aspect of this pose also improves circulation to the spine, delivering fresh oxygen and nutrients that promote healing and recovery.
Additionally, this pose encourages relaxation and stress relief that can further ease lower back tension. You can have a slight bend in the knees to make the stretch deep yet gentle, preventing unnecessary strain on the lower back. Practicing this pose regularly can help alleviate pains in the low back due to poor alignment.
How to Perform the Standing Forward Fold
While yoga is one of the best ways to relieve lower back pain, not all poses are suitable if you’re experiencing discomfort. Some postures put excessive pressure on the spine and may strain the lower back. Others require deep flexibility that may lead to injury if not done correctly. To protect your back, it’s important to focus on safe, controlled movements and avoid poses that may worsen your pain.
Here are some yoga poses to be cautious of—and why you should modify or totally avoid them if you have low back issues:
This deep backbend requires strong core support and spinal flexibility. If you have lower back pain, attempting this pose can cause over-extension of the spine, leading to strain and discomfort. As an alternative, you can try bridge pose (setu bandhasana). It provides a gentler backbend while strengthening the glutes and core, which support the lower back.
If you don’t have strong core support, this pose can cause strain in the lower back instead of strengthening it. The problem with some yoga participants is that instead of using their core when performing boat pose, they put the pressure on their lower back, and this can potentially lead to injury. To be safe, it’s best to avoid this pose altogether while you are still building core strength.
In terms of safety for the lower back, camel pose is not recommended because it can put too much strain on the lumbar spine if done without proper core engagement. Many yoga students tend to lean back into the lower back instead of using their thighs and glutes for support. For a more controlled and gentler backbend, the bridge pose is preferred.
Locust pose is also not ideal for those who have back injury or disability. While it can help strengthen the erector spinae, lifting too high or engaging incorrectly can strain an already-sensitive lower back. A safer alternative is the sphinx pose as it allows gentle activation of the back muscles without unnecessary pressure.
When not done correctly, seated forward fold with tight hamstrings can round the spine excessively, causing extra strain on the lumbar area. You can modify this with a slight bend in the knees, or you can use a yoga strap around your feet to avoid overstretching. You may also opt for a standing forward fold with bent knees for a safer alternative.
Deep twists, like the revolved triangle and revolved side angle poses, can also put extreme pressure on the low back, especially if the hips are not stable and the core is not engaged. It’s best to avoid such poses—as an alternative, you may opt for gentle supine twists or the Iyengar seated chair twists.
Shoulder stand requires strong core engagement and spinal stability, and if done incorrectly, it can place excessive strain on the cervical and lumbar spine. The inversion also increases pressure on the lower back, which can worsen existing pain. That is why the shoulder stand pose is not recommended if you’re having issues with back pain. As an alternative, you can perform the legs-up-the-wall pose. It offers the benefits of gentle inversion without putting pressure on the spine.
Practicing yoga regularly is one of the safest and most effective ways to ease lower back pain. Based on my personal experience, performing the right yoga poses with proper breathing and movement can reduce low back discomfort, strengthen the core, and improve flexibility. Whether your lumbar spine pain comes from long hours at a desk, poor posture, or stress, you can find natural relief from doing yoga.
That being said, it’s important to understand that not all yoga poses and flows promote spinal health. In fact, there are some asanas that need to be avoided because they may worsen your back pain, especially when they are not done correctly. This is the reason why we encourage attending in-person yoga classes with a trained instructor.
A structured class ensures you’re practicing safely, building strength where it matters, and avoiding movements that could strain your back. Make sure to let your yoga teacher know if you have pain or injury in your lower back or other body parts. Your yoga teacher will modify the poses for you to ensure that you’re getting the most benefits out of your practice.
The best thing about doing yoga is that you will see improvement not only on the mat, but also in your daily routine, every post practice. After all, yoga isn’t just about stretching—it’s a lifestyle that aims to take care of your body in a way that supports long-term health.
Practicing at least 2 to 3 times a week can help you experience noticeable improvements in flexibility, posture, and low back pain relief. However, if your back pain is more persistent, daily gentle stretches (even for just 10 to 15 minutes) can be beneficial. Consistency is the key—you will most likely notice improvements in 3 to 4 weeks of consistent practice.
Yes, but make sure to do it with caution and proper guidance. Sciatic patients find yoga beneficial as it helps relieve nerve compression, stretch tight muscles, and improve spinal alignment. However, certain poses—like deep forward bends or strong twists—can worsen sciatic pain if not modified properly. Always inform your yoga instructor about your condition so they can recommend safe poses and modifications.
Gentle and restorative styles of yoga are best for back pain relief. Yoga styles like Iyengar, hatha, and yin focus on slow, controlled movements, deep stretching, proper alignment, and mindful breathing, making them ideal for those with issues in their lower back. Avoid fast-paced styles like power yoga or Ashtanga, as they may involve intense movements that could strain your spine.
