Side bending poses make your lower back happier
When your lower back feels tight, you might twist or bend forward to try to get some relief. While these movements can work, what your back might really need is side bending.
A healthy spine moves in four ways: flexion (rounding forward), extension (backward bending), rotation (twisting), and lateral flexion (side bending). The most common position is flexion, as that’s what you do when you slouch. Unfortunately, slouching for long periods causes neck and/or lower back pain.
To undo the strain of slouching, you’ll want to practice spinal extension, in poses like Cobra/Bhujangasana, Locust/Salabhasana, and Bridge/Setu Bandhasana.
Extension isn’t enough, however, to keep your spine healthy. Twisting strengthens the core muscles and relieves tension in the lower back and hips. It’s important for sports like golf, tennis, and softball, as well as swimming and running. I write about how to twist properly here:
Twisting is Magic, but Only if Done Right
Lateral flexion isn’t as common a movement in sports or in life. We mostly move in the Sagittal plane (flexion and extension) as well as the Horizontal plane (rotation). Because we rarely move in the Coronal plane (lateral flexion), it’s important to play with side bending to truly balance the body.
Slouching isn’t the only type of “poor posture”
While slouching is most common, so is “the lean.” Maybe you lean on one hand while using a mouse with the other. You might lean on the arm rest on your car door or center console. Like with slouching, leaning once like this is no big deal, but over time, it can cause tightness in one side of your back.
When I was a kid I had a high school babysitter who I thought was SO COOL. She used to wear her school bag slung over one shoulder and stick her hip way out to support it. Wanting to also be cool, I was probably 9 or 10, I started doing that with my book bag. Over the course of a few years, probably because I was so young, it affected the shape of my spine. Now when I stand in what feels like straight alignment, I have a bit of a side lean to the left.
As a dancer, I remember one teacher commenting on how I was leaning to one side when standing in first position. He had the whole class come and look (it was so embarrassing). I felt upright, but clearly I wasn’t. When I started practicing yoga, I found side bending was much easier in one direction than the other because one side of my back was so much tighter.
Over the years it has become more balanced, but I still have to work on it. Releasing the tight muscles makes it easier to stand up straight, thereby creating less opportunity for my body to compensate. Compensation typically creates pain, and is often avoidable (not always). Bringing awareness to your imbalances prevents compensation, although as humans, we are Master Compensators.
How to side bend so that it helps and doesn’t hurt
I like to toss in side bending poses when I teach yoga because they are perfect for stretching the lower back. Stretching the side body creates space between the ribs which can improve breathing, and it can relieve lower back stiffness and achiness.
However, how you side bend matters. If you collapse to the side, you cause compression in one side of the lower back. This can create more pain instead of less. When practicing yoga, you always want to create space and length. In both spinal extension and lateral extension, move the rib cage away from the pelvis to create more space in the spine. More space in the body creates more room for your breath.
When side bending to the right, lift your left ribs toward the ceiling. Go up and over an imaginary beach ball that is next to your right side. Always go upward first, then over to the side. The more space you create between the rib cage and the pelvis, the better this type of stretching will feel.
Examples of side bending poses
Each of these poses offers a slightly different benefit to the side bending action. You don’t need to practice all of these poses every time you’re on the mat, but adding in 2-3 can enhance how your lower back feels.
Regularly practicing forward bending, backward bending, side bending, and twisting poses will keep your back feeling its best. Remember not to fight the pose or force the pose. Every yoga pose should be a steady, comfortable “seat.”1
In all of these side bending poses, breathe deeply into the lifted/upper side. The deeper you inhale, the more expansion you’ll get in the rib cage. Deepening the breath loosens up the muscles of the torso better than forcing the stretch. Your inhale creates space that you relax into as you exhale.
Bitilasana/Cow pose with a side bend
This is a wonderful variation to warm up with. I created a whole Cat/Cow sequence, including this variation below.
Start in Table pose. Inhale to lift the tailbone, drop the waist, and pull the ribs forward, away from the pelvis. This is Cow pose. Keep the hips where they are, and as you exhale, move your right ribs toward your right hip into a side bend. Inhale back to Cow pose facing forward, and exhale to the left, bringing the left ribs toward the left hip.
You can go back and forth a few times to loosen up the lower back, or you can follow the whole sequence below. Or do your own sequence. It’s your practice, make it your own.
Standing Half Moon pose/Ardha Chandrasana
Like is common with translations, there can be a couple of poses with the same name. Typically Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon pose) refers to a one-legged balance pose similar to Triangle pose, but this pose is also called Half Moon. I don’t make the rules.
Start in Mountain pose/Tadasana and sweep your arms over head. Grab your left wrist with your right hand. Keep the hips stacked over the ankles, and as you inhale, lift your left ribs toward the ceiling. Exhale to side bend the the right. Press your left palm to the right as you press your left heel into the floor.
Stay for 5 breaths, then return to Mountain pose. When you do the second side, grab your right wrist with your left hand.
Low Lunge/Anjaneyasana with a side bend
This pose feels fabulous! In addition to stretching the hip flexors (which helps the lower back), it also opens the whole rib cage.
Start in Table pose and step your right foot forward into Low Lunge/Anjaneyasana. Inhale to reach your arms upward while pressing your feet into the floor. As you exhale, lift your left ribs and bring your right hand to the floor or a block next to your right hip. Let your head relax toward your right shoulder.
I often pair this side bend with arm circles which add a neck stretch, shoulder opening, and chest opening. Start the circle by moving the arm backward to stretch the chest. Sweep the arm down by your hip and forward, then return it over your head. The arm circles loosen up the whole torso and can be helpful with mid and lower back discomfort, as well as tight breathing.
Stay 5 breaths, adding 3-5 arm circles if you like, then repeat to the left.
Reverse Warrior/Viparita Virabhadrasana
This pose is common in Vinyasa yoga classes, but so often I see people collapsing into it, leaning on the back leg rather than lifting upward. It’s a challenging pose, since the lower body is deep into Warrior 2/Virabhadrasana 2, while the upper body is lifted into a side bend.
Start in Warrior 2 pose with your right foot forward and spin both palms to face the ceiling. Lift your right ribs upward and touch the back of your left hand on your left leg. Lift upward so much there’s nowhere else to go but backward toward your left leg. There is no weight in your left hand, it just touches the leg.
Press your feet into the floor and engaging your glutes. Keep the right knee over the right ankle and move your right thigh toward the floor as you lift through your right ribs. The right ribs move away from your right hip, and the hip moves away from the ribs. Stay 5 breaths, then repeat on the left side.
Tree pose/Vrksasana with a side bend
If you don’t find Tree pose challenging enough, give this variation a try. You can play with your gaze/Drishti as you see fit. Looking forward is challenging because your eyes are no longer horizontal, but that’s how I usually practice. You can also look downward toward your bent knee or upward toward the lifted arm. There’s no one right place to look.
Start in Tree pose/Vrksasana standing on your right foot. Raise your right arm over your head and place the back of your left hand on your left knee. Inhale to lift your right ribs away from your right hip, then exhale to side bend to the left. See something with your eyes (pick a Drishti) to steady your balance. Stay 5 breaths (or as long as you can balance) then repeat to the other side.
I also practice this pose with fingers interlaced overhead. From there I will often move into another side bending pose which opens the entire side body from the ribs to the thigh. If you are standing on your right leg, step your left foot across to the right, bringing the ball of the foot onto the floor. Keeping your left knee bent and right leg straight, lean your weight into your left heel. Press your hips to the right as your palms go to the left. Stay 5 breaths then repeat on the other side.
Bound Angle pose/Baddha Konasana with a side bend
I find doing this variation creates more range of motion when I do regular Baddha Konasana. The side bend opens the hips and lower back so that it’s easier when I fold forward. I often add arm circles to this one as well while relaxing the head and neck to the side. More variations of this pose here:
4 Useful Stretches for the Lower Back
Start seated with your pelvis vertical and the soles of your feet together. You can sit on a rolled blanket or block if you can’t get vertical. Bring your feet as close to your hips as feels comfortable.
Bring your right hand to your side a little bit away from your body, and as you inhale, raise your left arm over your head. Exhale to lift your left ribs and side bend to the right. Keep your left hip on the floor, moving the ribs and hip away from each other.
Stay 5 breaths, maybe do some arm circles, then repeat to the other side.
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