5 yoga moves and stretches to relieve lower back pain
Lower back pain is probably the number one problem women in my classes complain about, whether in pregnancy, postnatally, or just in general!
Back ache can have multiple contributing factors including:
our core tone or lack of (which is definitely affected by pregnancy & postnatally)
the way we sit, and how long for (most of us modern humans do a hell of a lot of it!)
how we carry weight(s), including little ones!
the amount of movement we manage to engage in every day. Science is now very clear that movement is essential in the management and treatment of back pain, even when it feels like the last thing we’d like to do
So here are 5 easy yoga practices and stretches to help relieve a sore back, or even prevent it! These are suitable and positively beneficial for all, including during pregnancy and the early postnatal period.
1 - Sitting well
Ok, so you might not necessarily see this as a yoga practice as such, but finding good alignment when sitting is probably one of the most effective practice you can do. And come back to, over and over again!
The fact is that most of us sit on our tailbone, with our pelvis tilted under, which puts a lot of strain on the lower back. It also weakens our core muscles (our ‘scaffolding’ muscles), or prevents us regaining good strength in the core, which then reinforces our tendency to slouch, in a sort of vicious circle!
And, if you’re pregnant, this also tends to encourage baby to come lie back-to-back, which can make birth much longer.
Instead, try sitting on top of your sitbones, spreading the weight equally between left and right, with your ribcage stacked over the pelvis (without over-curving or over-arching the lower back). Make sure your feet can rest flat on the ground to help support you.
2 - Pelvic tilts
From all fours, starting in neutral back alignment, curl your tailbone under to round the back of the pelvis & lower back, then untuck to come back to neutral. Keep the movement very small to start with to really get into the lower back area, making sure you breathe fully/fluidly.
Gradually, you might let the movement grow into the class cat pose, spreading the stretch of the spine from tailbone, to midback, to back of the head, before returning to neutral.
3 - Floor ‘scrubs’ and ‘hand shakes’
From a neutral all fours, slide one hand forward along the ground, keeping the plevis over the knees, then return to start. Alternate arms, moving with the breath, exhaling to slide forward, inhaling to come back.
For the hand shake version, reach one arm forward in line with your ear while gently sending yuor hips back to get a lovely stretch sensation, then change sides. As above, exhale as you stretch. This is also a great yet gentle core strengthener.
4 - Dog at the wall / chair
For a deeper stretch than the one above, or to make it easier to fit in a stretch into your daily life without coming onto all fours (hello, office!), this is great. Bonus, you also get a lovely stretch of the back of the legs too :-)
Place hands against a wall, closed door, or hang on to a high-back chair or a high counter (i and step backwards until your upper body is sort of parallel with the floor. Keep your feet hip-width apart, or wider if you need more space for your bump.
Try ‘untucking’ your pelvis/tailbone (it can be easier to do if you bend your knees a little) and sending the hips away from the wall. Enjoy for a few breaths, then walk back to the wall to come back up, and release with a whole body wobble.
5 - Supported child’s pose
Settle into child’s pose, using a chair + cushions or a birth ball to comfortably support your upper body and head. If pregnant, make plenty of space for your bump by taking knees apart. If you are in the early postnatal period, try to keep knees parallel.
Try visualising ‘sending’ your breath to the achy parts - even if the breath cannot physically reach these areas, you might feel you can access a deeper, soothing breath this way. You can place a hand there for a breath or two to help with that focus.
For extra relief, you could wrap a half-filled hot water bottle on your lower back using a long shawl. A lovely, soothing thing to do in early labour too, or when on your period.
I hope you find these helpful!
For more support, why not join us in class, look at my recorded online offerings, or arrange 1-1 support.