Yoga for Back Care: 3 poses for a strong & healthy back

The main reason I started going to yoga classes about 10 years ago was that I was suffering from back pain!

I had tried physiotherapy, saw chiropractors and osteopaths regularly but all of those treatments were getting quite expensive and also I knew that they wouldn’t actually be able to “fix me” but just temporarily relieve me from those backaches.

My back problems are due to a scoliosis is my lower back and all sorts of postural misalignment that comes with that. I realised that I had to take responsibility for my back and be a little bit more proactive. I was in my early twenties so knew that it would only get worse if I didn’t do anything about it!

Our backs are so important and unfortunately are often the most neglected and abused parts of our bodies. Bad posture, hunching the shoulders while sitting at a desk, carrying heavy things (or little people) one sided can all contribute to back problems so it’s important to keep our backs strong and healthy! Yoga for backache can really help with that.

Below are three yoga poses which I find very beneficial for my back and which can be done even if you are a complete beginner.

Downward Dog – Adho Mukha Svanasana

This is one of the most important yoga poses and you won’t come across many yoga classes where you won’t be in this posture at least once!

Starting from all four, pressing through your hands and feet and then slowly extend your legs and lift your hips up towards the ceiling. If you are doing this pose to look after your back then don’t worry about straightening your legs (unless you’re very flexible). Work on extending through the spine without arching in the lower back which is often a problem for people who are very flexible in their lower backs.

Side Plank – Vasisthasana

This is usually one of the most dreaded poses in a yoga class… because it’s really hard! It’s very important to strengthen the sides of the body as much as the front and back and this pose does it all! There has been a lot of research about how side plank can be particularly beneficial for people suffering from scoliosis so if you are interested in this topic then do read this article in Yoga International .

Below are two versions of plank pose. The first one is a lot easier so if you are just starting out and feel you don’t have the arm or core strength yet then try this one.

The second one is much harder. Try to stack one foot on top of the other like I’m doing in the picture but if you find it hard to balance like that you can place the top foot in front of the other one instead.

Bridge Pose – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

I used to find this pose incredibly boring but it’s one of the best poses for my back. I now enjoy it so much and love experimenting with it that I practice it every day! Here is one approach which you can try:

Rather than simply pushing your hips up try to do roll up the spine as slowly as possible. I start by pressing through the feet and tilting the pelvis which lengthens the lower back. Take the hips only a few centimetres off the ground, then pause and let the rest of the spine settle on the ground. Inhale and on the exhale lift a little bit higher and pause again. Continue with that until your hips are in line with the rest of the body.

I hope you found this useful and let me know what you like to do to keep your back strong and healthy!

Head over to my YouTube channel for short yoga practice videos, tutorials and lots of fun with the kids!