4 Yoga Poses to Prevent Lower Back Pain
Regardless of whether you sit in a chair all day for your office job or spend your day lifting, lower back pain affects everyone. With the right yoga poses, you can relieve your lower back pain and improve your flexibility:
Child’s Pose
The Child’s Pose helps lengthen your spine, taking pressure off of your back. To do this pose, simply start on all fours. Then, lean forwards slowly, stretching your arms out on the ground in front of you and leaning back until your glutes are almost touching your heels. Hold for several breaths before repeating as needed.
Thread the Needle
Thread the Needle, also called a Reclined Pigeon Pose, is a great yoga pose for not only lower back pain in addition to relieving sciatic nerve pain. Laying down on your back, bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. Take your right foot and bring it up to rest on the top of your left knee, facing you.
Then, thread your right hand through the opening between your legs and lace your fingers together to hold your legs in place. Hold for 2 minutes before releasing and repeating on the other side.
Supine Twist
Supine Twist relieves pressure on your lower back in addition to improving flexibility. To do this pose, lay on your back, hug your knees to your chest, then slowly lower your knees to one side to where one leg is resting on the floor with the other resting on top.
Keep your shoulders touching the floor while extending your arms out to the side and turning your head in the opposite direction of your knees. Hold for 10 seconds then repeat on the opposite side.
Legs Up the Wall
Legs Up the Wall is a relaxing yoga pose that also stretches your hamstrings and calves in addition to your lower back. As the name suggests, you will be positioned as if you were sitting on the wall. Depending on your flexibility, put a folded blanket under your lower back for support while lying on the floor next to a wall.
Then, place your legs on the wall with the soles of your feet facing the ceiling. Hold this pose for as long as needed, up to 15 minutes. To get out of this position, slide off of the support onto the floor before lowering your legs to one side.