Feel to Heal: How Yoga Supports Chronic Back Pain

At Bend It Like Buddha Yoga, we believe healing begins when you start truly listening to your body. The sensations you feel during practice aren't just muscle engagement or stretch—they’re messages guiding you toward awareness, balance, and renewal.

While yoga has long been known for its holistic benefits, two large-scale studies now back up what so many of our students already feel: Yoga dramatically improves chronic back pain.

📚 Science Says: Yoga Reduces Back Pain

In a major UK study of 313 people with ongoing, nonspecific back pain, participants who attended weekly yoga classes for three months reported significantly less pain. Even a year later, these students maintained better function and reduced discomfort than those who didn’t practice yoga at all. Impressively, 60% kept up their practice independently.

In the largest US yoga study of its kind, across six cities and 228 participants, researchers found that yoga reduced the need for pain medication and enhanced spinal function by the 12-week mark.

At Bend It Like Buddha Yoga, these findings echo what we witness on the mat every day: conscious movement, breath, and presence truly make a difference.

💭 More Than Stretching: Listening as a Path to Healing

Yoga isn’t just about flexibility—it’s a process of reconnecting. When our teachers guide you to breathe deeply, soften your jaw, or notice how a pose lands in your body, you’re not just moving... you’re tuning in.

That awareness is where healing starts.

Many back issues stem not only from physical tension but from emotional and energetic patterns. Fear, stress, repressed emotions, and insecurity—all can settle into the back, particularly the low back, and show up as pain.

In our studio, we teach students to explore postures with curiosity, not force, and to use the breath as a companion. The more we pay attention, the more we release what no longer serves us.

💡 Back-Care Tips from Our Teaching Team

Here are some ways to deepen your back care practice, both physically and emotionally:

🔹 1. Explore Your Fears

The lower back is energetically linked to the root chakra, our sense of security. Fear around finances, relationships, or the future may manifest physically. Facing fears (gently) can free up physical tightness too.

🔹 2. Acknowledge Your Emotions

Unprocessed emotions can settle in the body. Journaling, mindful breathing, and self-compassion all create space for release.

🔹 3. Practice Back-Supportive Yoga Asana

The following poses are commonly taught in our classes for spinal health and whole-body awareness:

🧘‍♂️ 6 Yoga Poses to Support a Healthy Back

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

Builds back strength and gently opens the front body.

Modified Bridge (Setu Bandhasana)

Creates spinal traction and rebalances the sacrum.

Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Stretches the whole back line and strengthens the core.

Cat & Cow (Bitilasana & Marjaryasana)

Increases spinal mobility and reduces stiffness.

Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Releases the spine and hydrates the spinal discs.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana)

Strengthens the posterior chain (back, glutes, hamstrings).

Come Explore Back-Friendly Classes at Bend It Like Buddha Yoga

Whether you’re managing chronic discomfort or just want to build a more supportive relationship with your body, we’re here to guide you—safely, intelligently, and compassionately.

Our classes offer modifications for all levels, and our experienced teachers are trained to help you listen inward, move intentionally, and rediscover ease in your body.

✨ Ready to feel better in your back and brighter in your being?Join us on the mat this week—we’re here for you.