Gentle Hatha Yoga for Lower Back Pain
Beginner I
This short yoga class teaches you how to care for your lower back. David takes you through a self-massage routine and a series of stretches that release key muscles responsible for the tightness around the hips, legs and back that are associated with lower back pain. Note: you need two tennis balls, an old sock, a strap and a bolster. Check out this video to see how to make a bolster at home.
Equipment:
Strap Videos
Bolster Videos
Style:
Comments
Existing Comments
These exercises may be beneficial for somebody who is flexible, but they were too intense for my limited mobility.
Perfect after shoveling heavy wet snow this morning!
After two days of intense lower back pain and a break from most physical activity, this was a gentle transition back to my daily routine. I especially appreciate David’s repeated reminders to back off from any pain, making mindful adaptations throughout. I’ll probably repeat this a few days before going back to my flow routine.
Love the woodland setting and the orange shirt.
I seldom have any back pain, but after doing some bending, my lower back hurt a bit so I tried this class. My lower back feels much better, and I plan to do the class again. The only section I had trouble with was putting the balls under my upper back. I found it difficult to hold my head up off the floor so I stood against a wall and tried to copy the movements David was doing on the ground. My upper back and especially my shoulders feel so relaxed, and I may repeat this without doing the entire video when my shoulders feel tight or stressed..
Great back massaging and stretching! I like having the 2 tennis balls together in the sock rather than just one.
After pulling my lower back muscles yesterday, I tried this practise but it was impossible to bare the discomfort of the tennis balls. I did continue without the balls and hoped for some release but it didn't really make any difference. It's such a shame as I want to continue with my beginners practise but the pain is not allowing me. Do you have any other suggestions to ease the tightness and pain in the lower back? Many thanks and I would like to add that up til now every practise has been terrific and made me feel lighter and stronger. I hope to be able to continue soon. Thank you!
I can relate to the pain in the lower back. It can feel like you can't do anything without aggravating it. It's difficult to give advice at a distance, since many different things can be the cause, but you certainly want to be careful and gentle. In some cases, you may just need to rest your back until the swelling subsides. Let me know how it goes!
Thank you David for your kind reply. It has been two weeks now since my back pain and sadly I am still suffering on and off. I keep trying gentle relaxing classes as I am a complete beginner and I also had 3 days of doing absolutely nothing. I now feel lots of tightness and hot points in my lower back and today tingling on my little toe. I'm going to try this class again without the balls and see how it goes but if you can offer any suggestions I would very much appreciate it. Thanks again for such a great introduction to yoga. Kind regards Gillian
Hi Gillian.
I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through that. I can relate - I've gone through two periods where I needed to lie down for 2 weeks because my back was in so much pain. In my experience, the only thing that helped was rest, ice and time. I would be concerned that yoga may be aggravating the issue, unless you are seeing progress. In terms of the yoga you are doing, I think you're taking the right approach - gentle and careful. If it hurts, don't do it.
I hope that helps.
David
My fiance has been suffering from bad back pain for weeks. I finally got him to try a yoga class for back pain. I've done David's other back classes before but needed a short one so that he would go along with it. His back cracked/popped 3 times in the areas where he was feeling the most spasms. He said that the area that cracked was the place that he has been needing to crack for a long time. Results are what will convince him that yoga is really beneficial. He is a hard core gym rat and has been so resistant to trying yoga. Thanks, David.
This was absolutely amazing in releasing my lower back! At the time, I was skeptical as my back was tense and tight. I did not use the balls this time as my back would not allow it, but I can see that with more use of this practice, the balls will help massage the spine and surrounding muscles. Thank you for this wonderful program!
I liked this class very much David...
I have a problem with my lumbar discs so the tennis balls are painful ( I hope that soon they are not anymore). Can I use a pair of tight socks instead?
Thank you!
I'm not sure. They would need to be balled up and quite thick to be effective. You may find that you don't get enough pressure. But go ahead and try it and let me know if they work!
I don't have any tennis balls. Anything else I can use? thanks!
Absolutely. You can use anything that is firm but has the softness and give of a tennis ball. You don't want it to be hard, or too soft, essentially.
I chose this wonderful practice in lieu of advil. Got the kinks out gently and mindfully. Much appreciated, thank you.
thank you so much David...you are a wonderful teacher
namaste
Fabulous post! You show that you have a lot of knowledge.
<a href="https://www.favoursplus.com.au/Wedding-Favours.html">Favours Plus</a>
I have two lacrosse balls that I have used for my back in the past. Would it work to use those instead of tennis balls?
I believe lacrosse balls are a bit harder, so it would depend on how it feels.
This is my favorite practice. I have back pain and I usually feel good-great after doing this one. Feels especially good before or after a long walk. It is good if you don't have a lot of time to invest but want to get some stretching in.
Thank you!
Love this! Thanks again!
hii
I heard from my friend that yoga helps to get recovery from back pain, but i don't know which kind of exercise i have to do or should i use back belt to get recovery from my back pain?
can you please give me proper suggestion??
Hi Alke, you do not mention if the recovery is due to surgery or an injury but irregardless you should always check with your doctor to see if there is any movement you should not do. I too had back pain from working while limping around on a knee painful from osteoarthritis, my chiropractor said yoga would be great.
I am working to recover from a lower back/hip injury that causes stiffness and pain. Doing this class took my pain level from a 8 to a 3. Thank you David! I love starting off the class with tennis balls and ending in recovery on a bolster. FYI, I paused the video to add in a figure 4 stretch on each side.
Well, that was amazing! Can't believe I've only just found this class- I'll be returning to it regularly! Thank you!
I have two lacrosse balls that I have used for my back in the past. Would it work to use those instead of tennis balls?
I've never used lacrosse balls. Are they soft enough and firm enough that they will add the pressure you need but not hurt too much?
Within the first minute of starting this class my lower back/hip pain just about vanished. Bless those tennis balls, they were key. I was actually crying with relief when I was able to sit cross legged at the very end. Three days of pain and limited movement had stopped. I can't wait to tell my physical therapist.
Doing Tracy's feel the love and Davids gentle yoga while listening to Third Day in the sunshine in my home I feel like I have died and gone to heaven. My lower back pain melts away with this short sweet and to the point class. Looooove it!
I only had one ball the first time I did this. (You might want to change the description in the equipment.) But, it was the most WONDERFUL feeling! I have soreness between my 4th and 5th lumbar that physical therapy could only help with to a point. Rolling on the massage ball was amazing. Something I'll plan to do even outside of class.
I didn't have *any* tennis balls. . . substituted two medium-sized yellow onions instead. Where there's a will. . .
Are the massage balls supposed to hurt?
You can expect some discomfort, in the same way that you would if you were to receive a professional massage in an area that feels tender. But it shouldn't be so much that you find yourself tensing in response, or sore the next day.
If you feel like it hurts too much, you can soften the pressure by putting a hand towel in with the sock, layering it so that it's softer. Or, layer a towel on top of the balls. This can work, as long as you are able to move it up and down the spine, as I ask you to do it in the class.
Alternatively, wear a thick hoodie or sweater.
Let me know how it goes!
Take care,
David
DoYogaWithMe Founder
Thank you so much!