4 Useful Stretches for the Lower Back
One pose, four variations that feel so good…
Baddha Konasana, or Bound Angle pose, is a multi-purpose stretching pose that I wrote about in detail in this post:
If you only have time for one stretch, this is the one
I used to struggle with this pose. My knees were by my ears and I just couldn’t get them to drop. Moving my torso forward seemed like an impossible task. Over time, however, with practice, props, and lots of breath, this pose got easier. I felt more ease in my hips and lower back, and found more mobility.
Now, after 30 years, both my head and thighs touch the floor. But that’s not the point. What matters, is that the body changes over time, depending on what you do with it. You might not see the changes day to day, but possibly in 6 months, a year, or more. Be patient with yourself, meet yourself where you are, and breathe. Change happens.
When it comes to lower back soreness and stiffness, this pose can help. But what helps even more, are the following variations. The three variations address different aspects lower back tightness, so that when you fold forward, you’ll feel less resistance and have more range of motion.
Finding the diagonal
The body moves in many directions, yet most often we focus on stretching forward. This variation brings attention to one side of the back at a time. It also affects the hip opening aspect of this pose from a different angle.
Start seated with the soles of your feet touching. Bring the feet as close to your hips as your body allows, and let your knees drop open toward the floor. If you feel your hip flexors straining, place blocks under your thighs to give them a place to rest.
Sit as tall as possible with a vertical pelvis and spine. Keep the pelvis stable, and rotate your upper body to face your right knee. Keeping your left sit bone on the floor, tip forward, leaning your torso toward your right thigh. Maintain a straight spine, or from your flat back, soften forward toward your right thigh.
You will feel most of the stretch in your left lower back and hip. Keep dropping your left thigh toward the floor while relaxing into the stretch as much as possible. Stay here for 5-8 breaths.
Continue to the side
From your diagonal, move around to the right, bringing your right hand to the floor in line with your hips and reach your left arm over your head to the right. Keep your left sit bone on the floor and lift your left ribs away from your left hip. Try to drop your left thigh toward the floor. The thigh doesn’t need to touch the floor, but it might rest on a block.
Let the head drop to the right and slide your left shoulder blade down your back. Stay just as you are, and breathe into the deep muscles of the left lower back. I like to make large arm circles with the left arm, sweeping the left arm backward on an exhale. Sweep the arm down toward your hip and forward as you inhale, upward and backward with the exhale. This circling opens up the rib cage as well as the lower back.
Stay a total of 5-8 breaths, with or without arm circles.
The twist
From the side bend, sit up straight again. Keeping the pelvis stable, rotate the torso to the right, bringing the left hand to the right knee or thigh and the right hand to the floor behind you. Every inhale grow taller through the spine. Every exhale rotate a tiny bit further, from your core. Don’t force the twist, relax into the twist with your exhale.
Read more about twisting from Saturday’s post:
One movement, two approaches, multiple wonderful results
Stay 5 breaths, breathing deeply and fully both in and out. Then repeat the entire sequence on the other side.
Finally the forward bend
Once you have done the entire sequence on both sides, it’s time to find the forward bend. Sit up on your sit bones and allow your thighs to drop toward the floor. You might notice a bit more ease than when you started. Hold your shins with your hands to help you sit even taller.
You can stay vertical, that might be plenty of stretch. Or tip the pelvis forward, keeping your spine straight. Rock to the front edge of your sit bones, aiming the pubic bone toward the floor. Keep the spine straight, reaching your navel toward your toes. If you like, reach your arms forward on the floor for extra support or to get a little more length through the front of your spine.
Stay with a flat back, or from there, reach the navel even further forward, then soften the spine toward your legs. The goal is not to get the head to the feet. Try to reach the head beyond your feet. It doesn’t matter whether you get to the floor or not. What matters is that you feel the stretch in in the hips, lower back, and inner thighs.
Hold this stretch for 5-8 breaths, relaxing more with each exhale.
Thank you so much for reading Yoga Living 50 and Beyond. Aging isn’t easy, and all the messages out there say we shouldn’t. I disagree. I write about embracing aging through the lens of yoga, and how to apply your yoga practice to your life. What you practice on the mat you take with you off the mat. Please tap the 💜 and become a free or paid subscriber.
My mission is to help active adults over 50 stay active with yoga, meditation, mindful core, and stretching. It’s never too late to start! Yoga is a way to cross-train, both for sport and life. I’ve been practicing and teaching for over 30 years, and I love sharing my wisdom with you, both on the page and on the mat.
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