One of the most common postures that you will see when using yoga for back pain relief is Child’s Pose due to the versatility that it offers. Child’s Pose relieves tension in your back and hips while increasing flexibility and circulation to the muscles and joints in your low back. When taken to the full expression of the posture, Child’s Pose can produce immediate back pain relief.
What Is Child’s Pose?
Child’s Pose is often used as a resting pose in many vinyasa yoga classes for when the intensity of the practice gets a little too much and you need to rest for a few seconds to catch your breath. However, when used on its own, Child’s Pose can produce many therapeutic benefits for people who have pain in the facet joints of the spine. As your spine lengthens, the joints that help your spine bend and twist open up space between the vertebrae which helps repair the bad cartilage that causes your vertebrae to grind together instead of smoothly moving against each other.
How To Perform Child’s Pose
1. Starting on your hands and knees in a table-top position, begin to widen your knees away from your body while bringing our feet and toes to touch. Your knees can be however wide is comfortable for you to move into the position without pain.
2. Slowly begin to move your buttocks towards your heels while dropping your forehead to the ground.
3. If you have shoulder issues you can bring your arms to rest alongside your legs on the ground. Otherwise, keep your hands firmly planted on the ground in front of you. Your hands and arms can be in any position that you feel comfortable with straight or bent elbows and your spine should be straight.
4. If you feel an adequate stretch in your back and hips then hold this position for 5-10 deep breaths.
5. To get a deeper stretch in your lower back and hips and really lengthen the spaces between your vertebrae, spread your knees a little bit further apart and lengthen your tailbone down towards the ground as far as possible.
6. Straighten your arms out in front of you about hips width apart and push your palms into the ground. Stretch your hands as far forward as possible while lengthening your tailbone to the ground.
7. Continue to take a few slow breaths while you move your body into your furthest point and then release back to table-top position.
Benefits of Child’s Pose
- Stretches your hips and legs
- Releases tension in your back and neck
- Calms the mind
- Relieves stress
- Improves circulation
Child’s Pose And Yoga For Back Pain Relief
Child’s Pose is going to become one of your favorite and most effective yoga poses for low back pain relief. I use Child’s Pose everyday while stretching my lower back and receive instant relief from the tension in my lower back from chronic pain stemming from sciatica.
Although yoga is an amazing tool that can be used for back pain relief, the only way that you are going to find long-term relief from the pain is to find a workout that you can consistently stick with for the rest of your life. Daily stretching is going to help give you short-term relief from the pain but in order to get in deep and heal the root cause of your pain you are going to have to work hard.
If your pain is as bad as mine was when I started practicing yoga then the only thing stopping you from finding relief from the pain is yourself. Dedicating yourself to a yoga routine is going to start healing your body from the inside and give you the confidence and mental preparedness to stick with it for the rest of your life.
How could Child’s Pose help you in your day?
Stick With It!
After working on my feet in my retail job, it feels good to just stretch out. I will have to try this yoga pose as my lower back can really bother me at times. I used to you yoga years ago to help with my menstrual cramps. My back would really ache certain poses would really help me feel better. I will have to try this out. Thanks for the advice.
Hi Wendy!
Getting a good stretch in after a long days work is one of the best feelings there is! Child’s Pose is great because it stretches you out while also allowing your mind to have a moment of peace after your day. Thanks for the comment!
Hello,
Good thing that I came across this article. I’ve been having lower back pain for 10 years stemming from a lower back injury playing sports. I’ve been to doctors and chiropractors but I’ve never been able to fully get rid of the problem. However, I just spend a few minutes doing the Child’e Pose and I feel great already. This is something I am going to incorporate in my exercise regimen from now on.
Who would have thought that doing something that my two-year-old son does on a constant basis would have made my back feel so great.
I’ll definitely be frequenting this website. I appreciate you took the time and effort to come up with it.
Alex
Hi Alex!
Your lower back pain sounds a lot like how my lower back pain started when I was playing sports in high school. I went through sports therapy, chiropractors, and pain pills that only temporarily relieved the pain but never got rid of it.
Child’s Pose is one of my favorite stretches for low back pain because of how good of a stretch you get as well as how relaxing it is. There’s a reason babies are always in that position, it’s so comfortable once your body is healthy again!
I’m glad you found the site useful. Please let me know if you have any questions along the way and I’d be happy to help!
Hi,
I love yoga. I am a BIG guy who lost 100 pounds by changing my lifestyle and exercising daily. Yoga isn’t just for girls like I always thought.
I didn’t use yoga for back pain though, but after reading this, I will be letting everyone I know, about this.
This was one of my favorite pose’ by the way. It feels so good. Thanks gain for the info.
Hi Billy!
Congrats on losing the weight! Yoga has helped me get in the best shape I’ve ever been in and has pretty much healed my chronic back pain so I would definitely say it’s not only for women. And yes, Child’s Pose is great to relax and stretch out no matter what exercise program you are doing. Thanks for the comment!
I used to do half an hour of vinyasa yoga every day and Childs pose was always so relaxing after a pretty intensive set of movements. I do have a bad lower back (the result of falling down a flight of stairs and then I tore some ligaments pulling on a sock – yes that’s right a sock!!). I used to find that yoga really helped with by back as the stretching seemed to really ease the area where the ligaments tore. I stopped doing it for a few months and went back for half an hour this week and it’s amazing how much of my flexibility had gone in those few months.
Hi Evie!
Child’s Pose is a great posture to do in pretty much any type of yoga routine but especially since you have torn the ligaments in your back before! Sprains and strains can happen at any time doing anything (even taking off a sock!) if the muscles and connective tissue in our backs have had time to tighten overtime.
If you still have some pain in your ligaments when you stretch you might want to check out some Yin yoga postures instead of a full blown vinyasa yoga sequence in order to loosen up those ligaments that have been injured in the past. You might be really tight at first but give it some time and you’ll start to loosen up again.
Thanks for the comment!
Why does child’s pose really hurt in my lower back?
It’s not uncommon to feel discomfort in your lower back during Child’s Pose, especially if you have tightness or tension in that area and suffer from low back pain. Child’s Pose is meant to be a gentle resting pose that can help release tension in the back and hips, but if your muscles are really tight it can also put pressure on the lower back if not done correctly.
One possible reason for the discomfort is that you may be rounding your spine too much, which can cause compression and strain on the lower back. Instead, focus on lengthening your spine and reaching your hips back towards your heels. You can also place a folded blanket or pillow under your hips to alleviate any pressure.
If the pain persists or worsens, you should consult with a healthcare professional to rule out any underlying issues that may be contributing to your discomfort. You can also talk to a qualified yoga instructor for recommendations of modifications and adjustments to help you find a variation of Child’s Pose that works for your body.