Dead Pigeon pose or Figure Four stretches the glutes, piriformis and external hip rotators and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
POSES FOR LOWER BACK PAIN
These are the poses you need to alleviate pain at your lower back—backbends, hip openers, hamstring stretches (forward bends), twists and core strengtheners. You can read more about the causes of back pain and the different ways these pose work in the Articles.
Hip Openers
Half-Reclining Hero pose is a quad stretch that stretches the feet, ankles, knees and hip flexors and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
Happy Baby pose is a restorative hip opener that relaxes the body, quiets the mind and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
High Lunge stretches the ankles, calves, hamstrings and hip flexors, strengthens the hips and can help to alleviate knee and lower back pain.
Lizard pose is a key hip opener that stretches the hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes and groin and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
Low Lunge is a crucial pose for athletes—to stretch the hip flexors, including the psoas. I recommend you practice it after every workout.
Pigeon pose is a key hip opener for athletes that stretches the hip flexors, piriformis and glutes and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
Reclining Butterfly pose is a restorative hip opener that stretches the groin and adductors and releases tension at the lower back.
Runners Lunge strengthens the knees, quads, glutes and hips and stretches the ankles, calves, hamstrings, hip flexors and groin.
Side Lunge is a great pose for athletes to stretch the groin, calves and hamstrings, loosen up the hips and increase foot and ankle mobility.
Wind-Relieving pose is crucial for athletes to release tension at the lower back and gently stretch the hips—especially after a workout.
Yoga Squat is a great hip opener that stretches the groin and glutes and builds strength and flexibility in the feet and ankles.
Backbends
Bridge pose improves spinal mobility, opens up the chest and hips, strengthens the posterior chain and relieves knee and back pain.
Cobra pose is a key backbend that increases spinal mobility, opens up the chest, stretches the abs and can help to improve posture.
Cow pose is a beginner backbend that is great for increasing t-spine mobility and relieving pain in the neck and in between the shoulder blades.
Puppy pose is a key restorative counterpose for athletes that targets the thoracic spine and releases tension at the lower back.
Snake pose strengthens the mid back, lower back and glutes and opens up the chest and shoulders. It's a great pose to improve posture.
Sphinx pose is a beginner backbend that increases spinal mobility, improves posture and can help to alleviate lower and upper back pain.
Wheel is an advanced backbend that stretches the front of the body and strengthens the posterior chain. Please be careful in this pose.
Forward Bends
Child's pose is the ultimate restorative, pain-relieving yoga pose. You can take it any time, in your practice, you need to take a break.
Downward Dog is the quintessential yoga pose. It's great for stretching the backs of the legs and strengthening the wrists, shoulders and glutes.
Knees-To-Chest is essentially Child's pose on your back. It's great for releasing tension at the lower back and neutralising the spine.
In yoga, Reclining Hand-To-Big-Toe pose is the safest calf and hamstring stretch as it takes your lower back out of the equation.
Wide-Legged Forward Bend stretches the ankles, calves, hamstrings, groin and lower back and can help to alleviate lower back pain.
Twists
Half-Twisted Lizard stretches the quads, hip flexors, glutes, groin and chest, improves spinal mobility and alleviates lower back pain.
Reclining Spinal Twist is a key pose for athletes that can help to alleviate lower back pain, neck pain and pain in between the shoulder blades.
Thread-The-Needle pose is a beginner twist that increases spinal mobility and can help to alleviate pain in between the shoulder blades.
Core Strengtheners
Bird Dog strengthens the core—the abs, hips and lower back and is one of the most effective poses for alleviating lower back pain.
Locust pose activates and strengthens the posterior chain—to alleviate lower back, knee and pain in between the shoulder blades.
Plank strengthens the abs, obliques, lower back and shoulders and is key for alleviating lower back pain and improving posture.
Side Plank strengthens the wrists, shoulders, back, glutes, abs and obliques and can help to alleviate lower back and shoulder pain.