Yoga for lower back pain: what to do and what to avoid
Which shapes help a generally achy back, which ones to skip, and the red flags that mean you should see a clinician before you take a class.
6 min read
Yoga has reasonable evidence behind it for ordinary, non-specific lower back pain — the kind with no injury and no nerve symptoms. It is not the answer for every back.
See someone first if
- Pain travels down a leg past the knee, or you have numbness, tingling or weakness.
- The pain followed a fall or accident.
- You have changes in bladder or bowel control — this is urgent.
- Night pain, fever or unexplained weight loss accompany it.
What tends to help
Gentle movement in all directions, done often. Cat and cow, knees-to-chest, supine twists, bridge, and a supported child's pose. Strength matters as much as stretching: bridge and bird-dog build the support the spine wants.
What tends to aggravate
- Deep forward folds with straight legs, especially first thing in the morning.
- Big unsupported backbends like full wheel while you are sore.
- Twisting hard from the lower back rather than the mid-back.
- Holding your breath while bracing — the classic mistake.
Choosing a class
Iyengar and gentle hatha classes use props and hold shapes long enough to teach alignment, which suits sore backs. Tell the teacher before class; a good one will give you a variation for half the sequence without making a thing of it.
Common questions
- Is yoga good for lower back pain?
- For ordinary non-specific back pain, gentle yoga is one of the better-supported forms of exercise. Backs with nerve symptoms or recent injury need assessment first.
- Which yoga poses should I avoid with back pain?
- Deep straight-legged forward folds, full backbends and hard lower-back twists while sore. Supported, gentle versions of each are usually fine.
Put it into practice
Find a class that matches what you have just read — near you, or online.
Sequences to try
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