If you want to keep your body moving fluidly throughout your life, having a strong, healthy back is a must. Stretching and strengthening your back can provide a greater range of movement and prevent injury, pain, and even costly trips to the chiropractor and doctor.
Yoga is a gentle yet powerful and effective way to both strengthen the back and increase its flexibility. The right poses can help ease back pain while also improving posture. If you have a consistent yoga practice, the following six poses are among the most common poses integrated into classes and you may be doing them already. But even if you don’t have a consistent practice, there’s good news—these yoga poses can be done from the comfort of your home.
Remember to keep the core engaged while building flexibility in the back. This will help prevent injury and ensure you’re safely entering, holding, and exiting these poses. But most importantly, listen to your body. It’s OK to feel challenged while practicing yoga, but if there’s pain, mindfully back out of the pose.
1. Marjariasana (Cow/Cat Pose)