A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most common causes of lower back pain. While many know they have to exercise and move about, their jobs or studies often get in the way. Moreover, obese people are more likely to develop the problem early on.

To understand the causes and cure, you have to understand the system of your lower back. This part of your body is comprised of muscles, ligaments, and the vertebrae of the spine.

Along the spine, you’ll find the intervertebral discs made of cartilage that serves as cushions. Backache happens when these discs suffer due to a disease or injury.

It is likely for everyone to experience lower back pain during their lifetime. But those who are overweight, have weak abdominal and back muscles, and have poor posture are bound to experience it often.

The good news is that you can prevent the pain from happening when you practice yoga. This exercise is more effective than taking pain relievers, which effects are only temporary. This is one of the many benefits of yoga training.

Before learning the yoga poses that can relieve stress and relieve lower back pain, let’s first look at the causes of the problem.

What Causes Lower Back Pain?

Lower back pain can be due to a number of causes, including the following:

1. Lumbar spine condition

Your hamstrings and hip flexors directly affect the health of your lumbar spine. Your lower back becomes vulnerable to injury and tension that causes discomfort when any of these muscles are out of balance.

2. Tight hamstrings

The condition is a common complication of chronic lower back pain. During intensive exercises, tight hamstrings restrict correct hip mobility and push your lumbar spine to bend forward more than is necessary.

Your spine shouldn’t move as much as your hips. Hamstrings that are too loose or tight cause injuries, so you have to know how much you can do your stretches.

3. Muscle or ligament tension

Back pain that comes all of a sudden indicates a torn muscle, a disc issue, or a sprained ligament.

4. Different illnesses

Many illnesses, including fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, and ankylosing spondylitis, can also bring back pain.

5. Pregnancy

Back pain can develop during pregnancy due to extra body weight, muscle and ligament firmness, and compression of spinal nerves.

6. Poor body posture

Poor body posture strains the muscles and discs on your back and causes pain and discomfort.

7. Medical conditions

Medical conditions like gallbladder disease, gastrointestinal issues, appendicitis, and ulcers can cause lower back pain. It can also be due to tumors, kidney infections, spinal infections, and pneumonia.

8. Muscle injury

If this is the case, expect the pain to worsen in the morning. However, you can relieve the pain by moving and doing a deeper stretch.

9. Sciatica

Sciatica is indicated by discomfort that extends down the back of one or both of your legs. Sneezing, coughing, or straining will cause more discomfort if the sciatic or another spinal nerve is crushed.

Yoga Pose for lower back pain: How to Do Them and How They Help

Practicing yoga poses can effectively relieve back discomfort or chronic lower back pain. You can begin with yoga postures and neutral position that can strengthen your back and relieve lower back pain.

Most of the exercises will require you to focus toward the ceiling, up front, or on the floor. If it tells you to look toward the ceiling, keep your gaze as you hold the pose. Keep your arms stretched in poses that require them. Perform an active stretch, stomach drop, and other poses as instructed.

Practicing yoga provides relief for chronic low back pain, shoulder blades issues, comfort to your sitting bones, while making your lower back stronger. While it’s not a good idea to practice yoga if you have severe pain, advanced yoga practitioners do it.

In practicing yoga when experiencing pain, particular poses help extend their spines, stretch and strengthen their muscles, and realign their backs.

When in pain, move gently and let your head hang freely when asked. Move your heels slightly, do a slight bend with your right knee or left knee, and be gentle when moving your left foot, right foot, upper arms, lower arms, upper body, lower body, and more.

In poses like the child’s pose, be gentle as you keep your knees bent, while extending your upper body and back muscles.

Before beginning a new exercise routine, it is best to consult your doctor, especially if you are prone to pain. The following will discuss the yoga poses that can help deal with tight muscles, shoulder blades, and more.

You can do the yoga practice by starting with beginner yoga poses. Then, you can gradually add more challenges to your movements, use a yoga block, and hold the poses longer.

Pose 1: Swinging Palm Tree Pose (Tiriyak Tadasana)

Stretching your spine makes it a bit loose. It helps relieve pressure on the spinal nerves and spinal column.

To do this yoga pose, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Keep your gaze straight ahead. Your fingers should be interlocked, with palms facing out. Inhale deeply, and move your arms above your head.

Breathe out as you sway your waist to the right (do not lean forward or backward or twist the trunk). Imagine you are standing in between two panes of glass. Feel your left arm and the left side of your body stretching.

Hold the position for a few seconds while inhaling slowly, then gradually raise yourself back up. Exhale again, then perform similar steps on the opposite side.

Pose 2: Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

Triangle pose can help relieve lower backache by stretching your torso’s side muscles and the fibers on your outer hip. Moreover, this also helps strengthen your back and legs.

Perform this yoga movement by standing straight with your legs close to each other. Keep your feet flat on the mat. Move your feet at a four feet distance and begin angling your left foot outward at a 45-degree angle.

Keep the right and left legs straight. Then, tilt your chest to the side. Extend your left arm to the ceiling and your right arm extended to the floor.

It may be difficult to fully extend your right arm at first. But it will come easy with continued practice. If you still find it difficult, bend as far as you can while keeping your back straight to avoid strain or damage. Once you’ve taken five to ten breaths in the pose, switch sides and repeat the steps.

Pose 3: Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Kapotasana)

Pigeon position stretches the hip rotators and flexors, but it might be a little difficult for beginners. It loosen tight hips, similar to the effects of doing child’s pose. Tight hips can cause lower back pain, which this pose can help loosen, thus relieving the pain.

To perform the pigeon pose, start with your feet together in the downward-facing dog position. Lower both legs to the ground with your left leg bent and almost perpendicular to your right.

Move your left knee to the front, and turn it to the left. Only experienced pigeon posers should lift their rear foot off the ground and inward toward their back for an added hamstring stretch.

If it’s challenging, you can keep your back right leg straight at the back. Take up to ten breaths while holding the posture, transfer to the opposite side and repeat as necessary.

Pose 4: Downward Facing Dog

Downward facing dog is a classic yoga pose that gives your body a total stretch. It aims at your back extensors, the large muscle group that comprises your lower back, helps you lift and stand, and supports your spine.

To begin with the downward facing dog pose, get down on your knees and place your hands in front of your shoulders. Press back, and pull your tailbone up and toward the ceiling while lifting your knees from the ground.

Pushing your heels toward the floor can help stretch your hamstrings even more. Make five to ten breaths while holding the pose. Release, then repeat.

Other Relevant Yoga Poses

As you last in practicing yoga, you can choose your preferred yoga pose for lower back pain. Other poses in a yoga practice effective for pain relief include child’s pose, extended puppy pose, tabletop position, cat-cow pose, supine twist, cat pose, bridge pose, plank pose, and gentle backbend. Some of these poses, like the tabletop position, are done as a beginning pose for many yoga asanas.

Conclusion

Any clinical practice guideline will tell you how yoga can help relieve many body pains, including lower back pain. You can try many poses as you pursue a yoga practice.

However, if you have chronic back pain, exercise in moderation. You must also pay attention to your body before, during, and even after the session. It’s also necessary to get a professional yoga instructor.

For your yoga teacher, equipment, and studio requirements, Sweatbox Yoga has everything you need. We have been in the yoga industry for years and are considered among the top yoga centers in Singapore. We can teach you about the beauty of the practice beyond physical therapy and providing relief for lower back pain, so do check us out!