The Benefits of Yoga for Back Pain
Back pain is a far more common than you might think, with around 4 million Australians experiencing back problems¹. It’s an ailment that affects people of all ages and backgrounds, but it’s especially common among those who lead sedentary lifestyles, sufferers of conditions like sciatica, and during pregnancy. While it can be challenging to find effective ways to relieve back pain, yoga has gained popularity for its potential healing benefits.
Here, we explore how yoga helps with back pain, investigate the yoga styles that may offer pain relief, share some helpful yoga poses for lower back pain, and explain how FS8 workout classes can help you access these benefits.
How does yoga help with back pain?
Yoga is a holistic exercise that brings together the best parts of physical postures, breathing techniques and mindfulness. It focuses on improving not only your flexibility, but also your strength and balance – which all contributes to your spinal health.
One of the core reasons why yoga works to relieve back pain is that it helps stretch out and strengthen the muscles that support your spine. Through regular sessions, yoga can relieve neck and shoulder tension, increase the flexibility of your spine, release muscle tightness and even improve your posture, which can all play a role in reducing back pain.
Moreover, yoga promotes relaxation and stress-reduction techniques. Mindfulness encourages awareness of the body and promotes proper alignment during poses, reducing the risk of strain or injury. Breathing techniques can also help calm the nervous system and reduce tension, which can be helpful for managing chronic back pain.
What are the different styles and yoga poses for lower back pain?
There are many yoga styles that can be beneficial for different types of back pain. It’s important to choose the right type of yoga that suits your needs and preferences – whether you’re looking for something that incorporates a full body workout or a more gentle format.
When researching types of yoga for tight back and shoulders relief, consider the following four styles which have particular spine, posture and alignment strengthening focuses:
- Hatha yoga
- Vinyasa yoga
- Yin yoga
- Restorative yoga
Hatha yoga
While this gentle style of yoga makes it suitable for beginners or those with limited mobility, hatha is incredibly beneficial for building strength in your back. Hatha yoga focuses on holding poses and proper alignment, which can help strengthen the core muscles that support your spine, improve flexibility and relieve tension in your back.
If you tend to enjoy low-impact workouts like FS8 Restore then you will probably find a hatha session is the ideal segue into yoga.
Vinyasa yoga
Vinyasa is a more dynamic style of yoga compared to hatha. It involves flowing movements from one pose to another, synchronising your breath with each transition. It can help you build strength and flexibility, improve circulation and relieve muscle tension, which can all be beneficial for back pain caused by muscle imbalance or stiffness.
FS8 classes incorporate elements of different yoga styles. If you are concerned about whether you will be able to dive into this type of yoga, especially if you are currently dealing with back pain, our expert trainers will adjust your movements according to your specific needs – it’s one of the reasons why FS8 is so popular.
Yin yoga
This slow-paced variety of yoga focuses on deep stretching and holding poses for extended periods of time, anywhere from one solid minute right up to 20 minutes for a single pose².
Yin yoga targets the deep connective tissues in the body, including the muscles, ligaments and fascia. By activating these areas, it can lead to improved flexibility, less tension and back pain relief caused by muscle tightness and restricted movement.
Restorative yoga
As the name suggests, restorative yoga is deeply relaxing and using props like blankets, bolsters, straps and blocks to support your body in passive poses. Restorative yoga helps to activate the body’s relaxation response, reduce stress and release tension in the back muscles, making it suitable for those with chronic back pain. Some people swear by restorative yoga for lower back pain and sciatica, as well as other painful conditions.
Ready to start your yoga journey? Find a studio to book a class and let your instructors know about any back pain you might be experiencing. In the meantime, learn what to expect from FS8 and check out our FAQs.
Yoga poses for back pain
Here are some specific yoga poses that can be beneficial for different types of back pain. Ensure with any injuries or pain you seek medical expert advice before trying new exercise movements or programs:
- Child’s pose: A gentle forward bend that stretches your lower back and hips, relieving tension in your spine and promoting relaxation.
- Cat-cow pose: A soft spinal flexion and extension movement that helps warm up and mobilise your spine, releasing tension in the back muscles and improving flexibility.
- Downward-facing dog: Arguably the most well-known yoga pose, downward-facing dog is a weight-bearing pose that strengthens your core, stretches your hamstrings and calves, and decompresses your spine.
- Extended triangle pose: A standing pose that stretches the sides of your body, intended to strengthen your legs and improve spinal alignment.
- Bridge pose: If you plan on doing yoga for your tight back and shoulders, pay close attention to the bridge pose. This gentle backbend can strengthen the glutes, hamstrings and lower back muscles, as well as open up your chest and shoulders.
- Pigeon pose: This deep hip-opening pose will stretch your hips, glutes and lower back. If you are wondering whether yoga is good for sciatica, this pose in particular can help relieve tension in the piriformis muscle, which is often associated with sciatica.
1 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-musculoskeletal-conditions/musculoskeletal-conditions/contents/back-pain
2 https://yinyoga.com/yinsights/holding-for-time/