Often as a result of sitting for a long time or straining during physical activity (even from just being on your feet for extended periods), people feel tightness, pain or a sense of exhaustion in the lower-back region. Sometimes, just a gentle stretch of the area will help ease discomfort quite substantially. The following low back stretch can be practiced anytime; at the end of a yoga practice or on its own.
Seated Low Back Stretch
Step 1: Come to seated on your mat with your ankles crossed just a little bit away from your groin area. Make sure you are sitting upright on your sitting bones so that it will be easier to tilt forward (if it helps, you could sit up on a block or even a phonebook will do).
Step 2: Walk your hands directly out in front of you. Pause and, with a deep inhale, pull your hands against the floor toward you—lifting your chest as you do so (this lengthens and flattens the back).
Step 3: On your exhale, keep your sitting bones rooted on the mat as you walk your hands further forward in front of you, folding at your hip creases. If you feel any discomfort at all in the knees as you fold forward, simply walk the feet out a bit to decrease the bend in the knee (this alleviates pressure in the inner knee area). With every inhale, pull against the floor to lengthen your back, and with every exhale continue to fold further forward as you walk your hands out. You should begin to feel a light stretch in the low back.
Step 4: To intensify the stretch on either side of the low back, keep your bum rooted on the mat and simply walk your hands over to your left side and forward as far as you can. Let your head release and pause here for a few deep breaths (you should feel the low back being stretched on the right side). When you have finished, walk your hands over to the right side and feel the stretch on your left. To come out of this pose, simply walk your hands to centre and slowly roll back up to seated.
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