Yoga for Back Pain

When pain happens, sometimes your instinct is to not move at all. Research suggests that's not always the right answer.

Because you shouldn't have to suffer through class.

Your lower back does enough. Here's how to move more efficiently in your practice—and in life.

Through yoga, I have learned that I can be balanced and graceful, even with a curved spine.

Our spines do so much. Here's how to keep yours healthy.

Bitilasana is an easy, gentle way to warm up the spine before a more vigorous practice.

This pose provides a gentle massage to the spine and belly organs.

Open wide into Prasarita Padottanasana to increase flexibility by leaps and bounds.

Plow Pose (Halasana) reduces backache and can help you get to sleep.

You need strength, flexibility, and endurance, and unwavering concentration for Eagle Pose.

Poor posture? This one's for you.

Named for a legendary warrior, Virabhadrasana 2 strengthens your quads, shoulders, and core—not to mention your stamina and inner resolve.

It might look straightforward, but there's more to Dandasana than meets the eye.

Sometimes called the Sage's Pose, Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi III (Marichyasana III) is a wise addition to any practice.

There's a general consensus among modern yogis that Viparita Karani or Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose may have the power to cure whatever ails you.

One of yoga's most widely recognized poses, Adho Mukha Svanasana strengthens the core and improves circulation, while providing a delicious, full-body stretch.

Extended Triangle Pose is a quintessential standing pose that stretches and strengthens the whole body.

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana can be whatever you need—energizing, rejuvenating, or luxuriously restorative.

Find length in your side body, from your heel to your fingertips with Extended Side Angle Pose.

Bump up your energy (and confidence!) by bending back into Camel Pose. Ustrasana counteracts slouching and relieves lower back pain with a generous, heart-opening stretch.

Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose, or Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, offers a deep, vivid stretch to the side body paired with loving and heart-opening movement.

As a counterpose to Utthita Trikonasana and preparation for seated forward bends and twists, this pose is key to a skilled practice.

Nervous about twisting? The movement can actually benefit your spine and back. Here's why.

Bend back into the shape of a bow to feel energetically locked, loaded, and ready to take aim.

This revolved variation of Utthita Parsvakonasana requires a lot of flexibility to twist so deeply and ground the back heel.

Is your lower back out of whack? Yoga can help you find the relief you deserve.

The benefits of building core strength go beyond the abs.

Common yoga postures may be stressing your spine and causing back pain. Dr. Kevin Khalili, author of "Preserve Your Curves," offers five back-friendly asana options that are both spine-sparing and back-strengthening.

Yoga is a great start, but to truly alleviate and correct your back pain, you'll need a full-body solution.

Check out Sage Rountree's author page.

Time is on your side when working with back pain or disc injuries. Patience, diligence, and gentleness guide the path to safe movement. The back-care series I developed promotes range of motion, body balance, and alleviates discomfort from sitting with poor posture. Try to practice it daily, especially when you have spent prolonged periods sitting or standing.

The RESTORE yoga program was developed by researchers and master yogis to treat chronic lower-back pain in service members and their families. Try it at home by gently practicing the following poses.

Deskbound at the office or at home? Starting to slouch? These strengthening and lengthening poses will help you sit with support and ease.

These simple moves will powerfully balance your legs, pelvis, and spine whether you're at your desk, out and about, or on the mat.

Whether you have chronic low back pain, herniation, osteoporosis, or trouble with your SI joints, these supported variations will help you enjoy the benefits of Triangle Pose with ease.

Here's how to strengthen and gain mobility in your upper back

Maintaining flexibility and stability in the hip joints is crucial for lower-back health and cultivating overall freedom and ease in our bodies.

Ray Long, MD, explains the anatomy of twists and how to support the action with proper muscular engagement to prevent low back pain.

Practicing this twisting sequence is beneficial for anyone who sits for a good portion of the day, suffers from chronic back pain, or loves activities like running, cycling, and hiking.

Do you practice yoga regularly but somehow still feel “stuck” in certain spots? Senior Yoga Medicine teacher Allison Candelaria created this fascia-freeing flow to find more mobility in the backside of your body.

While yoga can often be a quick fix, these postures will help to methodically alleviate the root cause of back pain.

Start to ease lower back discomfort and counteract the effects of too much sitting by swapping some of your standard Surya Namaskars for this core-focused variation.

Got low back pain? Adopt these three slow, subtle yoga strategies from Tias Little to get more relief out of each practice.

Release tension and pain by working with your tissue. Bo Forbes shows you how to target hotspots in the shoulders and lower back.

Although standing orients your spine into proper posture, standing for too long can cause back pain. Incorporating a yoga routine can help relieve pain.

Free yourself from ordinary back pain by doing these five simple poses each day.

Stave off back and neck pain with better posture.

Learn one simple alignment technique and three common poses to ensure pain-free backbends.

Free yourself from ordinary back pain by doing these 5 simple poses each day.

Stretch your hamstrings without straining your spine. Learn the basics of Supta Padangusthasana.

Kelly McGonigal, PhD, a yoga teacher and health psychologist at Stanford University, shares tips for dealing with chronic pain through yoga and meditation.

When it comes to back pain, this gentle approach is best.

Urdhva Hastasana translates to "Raised Hands Pose," but it is also sometimes called Talasana, the Palm Tree Pose.

Scoliosis can cause back pain and many other health problems, including shallow breathing, sciatica, headaches, and even insomnia. Yoga not only brings relief but can also help you accept and embrace the body you're in.

Check out Julie Gudmestad's author page.

Twists can be heaven for a bad back—if you don't push too hard. Learn how to do these 9 stretches for the spine to ease pain in your back.

The Fire Log Pose stretches the outer hips intensely, particularly the piriformis, which is often the main culprit of sciatic pain.

Sphinx Pose is the infant of backbends. It can be practiced with either an active or passive approach.

Dolphin Pose strengthens the core, arms, and legs, while also nicely opening the shoulders.

If you think there's no way to get your mind off of discomfort in your body, try this practice to shift how you experience it.

Your mom was right: You'll look better and feel great if you stop slouching and stand up straight. Yoga can help you do just that—in a way that honors your spine's natural curves. Here's a guide to assessing and improving your posture.

Building strength in the lower back can enhance your performance in daily activities and help you avoid sports injuries.

Salabhasana or Locust Pose effectively preps beginners for deeper backbends, strengthening the back of the torso, legs, and arms.

Boost the body's energy and fight fatigue with Fish Pose, or Matsyasana in Sanskrit, while building confidence with a loving stretch in the shoulders. It is said that if you perform Matsyasana in water, you will be able to float like a fish.

Say hello to leg and ankle strength as you seek stability and extend into this balancing pose, Half Moon Pose.

Learn how yoga can help you prevent slouching—and the depression, shallow breathing, tension, and headaches that often go with it.

Bharadvaja's Twist, or Bharadvajasana in Sanskrit, is a gentle and loving twist that inspires postural and body awareness.

Also called Seated Twist Pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana in Sanskrit, this pose energizes the spine and stimulate proper digestion while improving postural and body awareness.

Oh, your aching back? Or maybe you can't crack those tight hamstrings. Supta Padangusthasana I or Reclining Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose I is for you.

Need an energy boost? Urdhva Dhanurasana can help—and strengthen your arms, legs, abdomen, and spine in the process.

This fall, a team of British academics, yoga teachers and practitioners will join forces to find out if a 12-week course of Iyengar Yoga can be used to treat lower back pain. More than 260 people between the ages of...