Does Yoga Help With Back Pain? 9 Benefits to Consider

Back pain is a common issue that affects millions of people worldwide, potentially impacting their ability to perform daily activities or even progress to more serious health concerns. If you’re experiencing back pain, you may be wondering whether yoga, with its myriad backbends and twisting poses, might offer a solution—or worsen your discomfort.

This article will explore how yoga helps with back pain, highlight particularly helpful yoga poses to reduce back pain, and provide tips to safely and effectively use yoga to provide back pain relief.

Does yoga help with back pain? 

The answer is unequivocally yes! Research has shown that even just one 60-minute yoga session a week can improve symptoms of back pain. 

Here are nine benefits of practicing yoga when it comes to back pain:

• Yoga builds core strength and stability

• Yoga improves your posture

• Yoga stretches your muscles

• Yoga improves your flexibility

• Yoga improves your range of motion

• Yoga reduces your stress levels

• Yoga increases your blood circulation

• Yoga releases tension

• Yoga strengthens the back body

1. Yoga builds core strength and stability

A strong core—which comprises the visible (or not!) abdominal muscles and the muscles that wrap around the torso and include the low back—supports your spine and reduces strain on your back. Yoga poses often engage and strengthen core muscles, providing a more stable foundation for your movements.

The core helps integrate all sorts of movements that require coordination between your upper and lower body. If your core is weak, there is a greater chance some innocuous movement will place undue strain on your body. 

While some back pain is the result of chronic inactivity, consider also the sudden sharp pain from lifting something incorrectly. The type of core strength and stability that yoga builds can help protect against both types.

2. Yoga improves your posture

Many back pain issues stem from poor posture, especially from extended periods of sitting. Yoga helps align the spine, shoulders, and hips, reducing unnecessary stress on your back. Many yoga poses call for specific awareness of how the bones and joints are stacked in a way that is supportive as well. 

When you think of yoga, you might think of the big, powerful poses like Warrior 2, but consider also the value of seated poses that teach good posture. These skills translate off the mat to better overall posture, which can lessen back pain.

3. Yoga stretches your muscles 

Yoga helps tight muscles in the lower back, hips, and hamstrings, which can contribute to back pain. Each case of back pain is unique and may actually be related to tightness in another part of the body. For example, tight hamstrings can lead to compensation in the pelvis that puts strain on the lower back. 

One benefit of yoga is that during the course of a longer practice, you will stretch many different muscle groups, each of which may unlock some piece of an overall solution for back pain.

4. Yoga improves your flexibility 

Increased flexibility in your spine and surrounding muscles can prevent stiffness and reduce the risk of injury. This is similar to the point above but also gets at the idea of lower-back pain emanating from a loss of overall function in the body. Being stiffer and less flexible affects your ability to move in a way that your body is intended to move. 

For instance, if two people bend over to pick something up, but one of them is much more flexible, they have greater options for how they can move their body to complete the task. Yoga involves both deep and dynamic stretches that can help improve flexibility and lower your risk of injury.

5. Yoga improves your range of motion

Movements in yoga help improve joint and muscle mobility, allowing for a freer, more comfortable range of motion. Back pain can sometimes be caused by something as simple as reaching to buckle your seatbelt, especially if you experience significant limitations in your ability to move.

Yoga movements such as twisting, reaching your arms overhead, and doing deep lunges can improve your overall range of motion. A healthy back particularly benefits from an open and mobile spinal column, and controlled movements like twisting, folding and backbending can help facilitate a healthier spine.

Related blog: Can You Do Yoga Every Day? 

6. Yoga reduces your stress levels 

Stress often manifests as tension in the body, especially in places like the neck, shoulders, and back. Yoga’s focus on mindful breathing and deliberate relaxation helps release this tension. More than simply a physical practice, yoga can include philosophical or spiritual elements that support a healthier relationship to ourselves and one another. 

If you practice yoga regularly, you’ll likely see certain skills like body and breath awareness translate off the mat as well. You may notice your poor posture, tensed shoulders, or shallow breath, then deliberately make a change. 

7. Yoga increases your blood circulation

Improved circulation delivers oxygen and nutrients to sore muscles, speeding up recovery and reducing inflammation. If your back pain is related to some acute injury, a gentle yoga session may help promote recovery while offering a safe form of movement. Improved circulation carries plenty of additional benefits for the body overall and can be an important tool in easing back pain.

8. Yoga releases tension

Yoga encourages relaxation, which helps to release stored tension in the back and surrounding areas. In yoga, there are regular reminders to relax specific body parts. As mentioned earlier, tension or tightness in places like the hips or hamstrings can lead to back pain. By reminding yourself to ease tension in one place, you may allow for other parts of the body to relax and open up.

9. Yoga strengthens the back body 

While most of the benefits above focus on greater openness of the body—improvement in joint mobility, flexibility, and range of motion—certain styles of yoga can strengthen the muscles of the back as well. Postures like bridge pose, locust pose, and camel pose actively strengthen the chain of the back body. By practicing yoga, you are not just gaining more freedom in movement, but also building a stronger, more resilient frame.

The best yoga poses for back pain relief

Now that you understand all the ways that yoga helps with back pain, you’re likely wondering where to start! Here are seven effective yoga poses for relieving back pain, along with some tips to practice them safely:

1. Cat-cow pose

Begin on all fours, alternating between arching your back (cow) and rounding it (cat). This dynamic movement stretches and strengthens the spine. Try to match your breath to the movement and involve every piece of the spine.

2. Downward-facing dog

Start in a plank position and lift your hips toward the ceiling, forming an inverted V-shape. This pose stretches the hamstrings, calves, and lower back. Keep your knees slightly bent if your hamstrings are tight, and don’t worry about your heels reaching the floor. 

3. Bridge pose

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Lift your hips while keeping your shoulders grounded. This backbend strengthens the lower back and glutes.

4. Cobra pose

Lie on your stomach and press your palms into the mat, lifting your chest. This pose stretches the lower back and opens the chest. Avoid pinching in your lower back by keeping your elbows slightly bent. Focus on pulling the hips forward rather than pressing the hands down.

5. Child’s pose

Sit back on your heels with your arms extended forward and settle your forehead onto the mat. This restorative pose stretches the lower back and hips and is a great place to focus on steady breath.

6. Triangle pose

Stand with your feet wide, spinning one foot to face the front of the mat while keeping the other parallel to the short edge (or even slightly turned in). Reach one hand toward the ground near your front foot while the other extends upward. This pose stretches the sides of the torso, provides a gentle twist for the spine, and offers some hip opening as well.

7. Supine twist 

Lie on your back, bring one knee to your chest, and gently twist it across your body. This pose releases tension in the lower back and improves spinal mobility. Keep your shoulders grounded for the best stretch. You may want to support the top knee with a block for greater comfort. 

Tips for relieving back pain with yoga

Now it’s time to explore practical tips and recommendations to help you alleviate your back pain safely and effectively with yoga. Use these tips to get started: 

1. Choose the right yoga style

If you are newer to yoga or in more significant pain, opt for gentle types of yoga like Hatha or restorative yoga, which focus on slow, deliberate movements. In time, you can look for more vigorous styles like Vinyasa to continue building strength.

2. Warm up before your yoga practice

A good yoga teacher will offer a deliberate and functional warmup at the start of class, but if you are practicing on your own or unsure of the experience you’ll receive, spend five to 10 minutes warming up to prepare your muscles and help prevent injury.

3. Focus on your alignment 

Proper alignment ensures that you’re getting the most benefit from each pose while minimizing strain on your back.

4. Use props

Blocks, straps, and bolsters can make poses more accessible and help maintain correct posture.

5. Modify poses if you need to 

Listen to your body and adapt poses to avoid overexertion or pain. You know your body better than your yoga teacher, so always feel empowered to modify the practice to fit your needs.

6. Engage your core muscles 

Engaging your core provides extra support for your spine and enhances the effectiveness of each pose. Even in a backbend, the core has a role to play in fully expressing the pose.

7. Breathe mindfully 

Deep, controlled breathing reduces stress and helps you move more fluidly through poses. As the poses get more challenging, it becomes even more important to maintain a controlled breath.

8. Avoid overstretching 

Be deliberate with your movements and don’t push your body beyond its limits. Everyone will look a bit different in the same yoga pose because everyone is working within their own circumstances. Honor your own body by taking the poses into a place where you can feel a good stretch but it’s a sensation you can breathe through.

Get started with yoga!

Yoga is an effective and accessible tool for managing and relieving back pain. By focusing on core strength, posture, flexibility, and mindfulness, yoga can address the root causes of discomfort while improving your overall well-being. 

Yoga is a practice that is endlessly modifiable and encourages listening to your body, so it is well-suited for back pain of varying intensity. The well-rounded physical practice of yoga makes it perfect for working through back pain arising from any number of sources. Whether it’s stress, poor posture, or tight hips that are contributing to your particular back pain, yoga may be part of the solution. Incorporate these poses and tips into your routine to experience the benefits of yoga for yourself.

If you’re looking for a way to get started with yoga to help alleviate your back pain, consider practicing with me on Hydrow. Our workout library includes yoga workouts that are perfect for beginners and yoga enthusiasts alike, all filmed in stunning locations around the world. 

Learn more about Hydrow’s yoga workouts today!