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If you sit a lot during the day or experience any kind of low back discomfort, you probably already know that taking even a few moments to practice some lower back stretches can make a difference.
The following exercises take you through some slow and simple seated, kneeling, and reclined stretches that lengthen the glutes as well as the erectors, which are the muscles along the spine. They also focus on releasing the tight hip flexors, which is one of the best things you can do for lower back aches. Some of these exercises also engage the abdominal muscles in an attempt to be proactive about preventing recurring low back pain.
So when you want to move your body and ease your aches but aren’t quite certain where to focus, these lower back stretches based on yoga are strong starting points.
10-Minute Morning Lower Back Stretches
Kneeling Lower Back Stretch
Start by kneeling and sitting back on your heels. If this isn’t comfortable for your ankles or your knees, you can instead sit cross-legged. Inhale as you sit tall through the spine. Exhale as you round your back and contract your core and take a few breaths here. Let your chin come toward your chest and completely relax your neck so your head hangs. Feel your shoulder blades broaden. You can hold your knees here to use a little traction. Feel your shoulder blades broaden. Imagine you can breathe directly into your lower back and create a little bit more space.
When you’re ready, inhale as you lift yourself back to a neutral spine. Twists are supportive
Rabbit Pose
From sitting on your heels, reach back and grab your heels and then lean forward and bring your forehead down to the mat or a block. You’re not putting a lot of pressure on your head. Then lift your hips while maintaining the hold on your heels in Rabbit Pose. Keep the weight on your knees. You want to experience that same sense of trying to find a little bit of traction with your hands to help you stretch along the spine. Keep your shoulders lifting away from your ears. Breathe here.
Child’s Pose
From Rabbit Pose, let go of your heels and let your hips sink back and down into Child’s Pose with your arms alongside your body. If you like, you can rock a little side to side. Remain here for as long as you like.
Cat and Cow
From Child’s Pose, extend your arms alongside your head and come to your hands and knees. Find a few rounds of Cat and Cow. So as you inhale, lower your belly, lift your gaze, and arch your back in Cow Pose.
As you exhale, round your back and contract your core as you bring your chin to your chest in Cat Pose.
Take a few more Cat and Cow shapes, moving with your breath as you inhale into a backbend and exhale to round your back.
Low Lunge
From hands and knees, find a Low Lunge by bringing that right foot forward between your hands. Come onto your fingertips and draw your shoulders down and away from your ears. Check that your right knee is stacked directly over your ankle. Let your hips sink forward and down, letting gravity do most of the work for you.
Twisted Low Lunge
From Low Lunge, let’s add a little twist. Flatten your left hand against the mat, bring your right hand to your right thigh, and roll your right shoulder back as you twist toward your right.
Extended Tabletop
From Twisted Low Lunge, release the twist and bring both hands flat on the mat. Find hands and knees again and then inhale as you extend your right leg straight behind you and exhale as you contract your core and bring your knee toward your nose. Repeat that movement with your breath as you inhale and stretch it out and then exhale as you squeeze to pull it in. Try to keep your hips level as you reach your leg back. Don’t worry about how high your leg is going. You’re focusing on stability rather than range of motion.
Then do the same thing on the other side, starting with your Low Lunge, followed by Twisted Low Lunge, and then Extended Tabletop.
Dead Bug
From hands and knees, bring your legs out in front of you, find a seat, and carefully lower yourself all the way onto your back. Stack your knees directly over your hips and flex your feet. Reach your arms straight up, palms facing one another. Press your lower back into the mat as you inhale and reach your right arm alongside your head and straighten your left leg forward so it hovers above the mat. Keep your bent knee stacked directly above your hip and feel your abdominals engage.
As you exhale, hug yourself back to the midline and then alternate sides. So you’ll inhale as you reach your left arm and right leg and then exhale as you pull them back in. Practice this twice more on each side, moving with your breath. You really don’t have to go too far for this to be challenging. Shaking a little here is normal. Try to keep your back connected to the floor at all times. This is extremely effective for strengthening the abdominals and finding that connection with your lower back.
Pull your knees toward your belly and rock a little if that’s comfortable for you.
Reclined Spinal Twist
From knees to chest, let both knees lower over to the left and reach your right arm straight out to the side. If you like, you can rest your left hand on your right knee to guide it. You’re simply looking for a nice stretch through the right side of your lower back. Take a deep breath here and float your knees back through to center before you switch sides.
Seated
Slowly roll over onto one side and use your arm strength to help make your way to a comfortable sitting position. Simply notice how your body feels after these lower back stretches.
