12 Yoga Poses for Back Pain — What Works and What to Avoid

What the Research Says About Yoga and Back Pain

A 2017 meta-analysis in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that yoga produced small-to-moderate improvements in back pain and function that were equivalent to conventional exercise. A 2020 Cochrane Review confirmed moderate-quality evidence that yoga improves pain and disability compared to usual care for chronic low back pain.

12 Poses That Help

For Lower Back Pain

• Child's Pose (Balasana): Gently decompresses the lumbar spine. Excellent for disc-related pain.
• Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): Improves lumbar mobility; pumps nutrients into discs through flexion-extension cycling.
• Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana): Relieves facet joint stiffness and thoracolumbar tension.
• Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Strengthens gluteal and lumbar extensor muscles that support the lower spine.
• Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani): Reduces lumbar compression; effective for end-of-day pain from prolonged sitting.

For Thoracic (Mid-Back) Pain

• Thread-the-Needle: Mobilises the thoracic spine in rotation; relieves upper back tension from keyboard work.
• Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana): Strengthens spinal extensors; helps counteract kyphosis. Start with low cobra only.
• Eagle Arms (Garudasana arms): Stretches the rhomboids and posterior shoulder — chronically tight in desk workers.

For Neck Pain

• Seated Neck Rolls: Gentle cervical mobility — avoid deep circles backwards.
• Ear-to-Shoulder Stretch: Targets the scalene and upper trapezius muscles; 30-second holds each side.

Core Stability (Foundation for All)

• Plank Pose: Builds deep core stabilisers without lumbar flexion loading.
• Boat Pose (Navasana): Advanced core work — only appropriate when acute pain has resolved.

Poses to AVOID with Disc Problems

• Deep forward folds (Uttanasana) — massively increases intradiscal pressure
• Seated forward folds in full flexion
• Headstands and shoulder stands — compressive forces on cervical spine
• Deep backbends (Full Wheel) if you have stenosis
• Any pose that reproduces leg pain/tingling — stop immediately