10-Minute Morning Yoga to Release That Nagging Tightness in Your Back

If you’re experiencing any tension, soreness, or stiffness in your back, this short 10-minute morning yoga class should bring you some relief. It’s a really slow, very gentle class that focuses on stretching and strengthening your entire back body.

This yoga for back tightness practice starts with lying on your back. You’ll take some simple but dynamic movements. Throughout the rest of the practice, you’ll experience twists, forward folding, backbending, side stretching, and working all the areas of the spine—without needing to stand up.

So you get to stay fairly close to the mat for this 10-minute morning yoga practice. The closest you’ll get to standing is a Low Lunge and a Downward-Facing Dog. And, as with all my morning classes, there’s no Savasana, simply so you aren’t tempted to fall back asleep.

10-Minute Morning Yoga for Back Tension and Tightness

This yoga for back stiffness practice is suitable for all experience levels. No props are required although you’re welcome to use them anytime they can provide support. Feel free to take your time and linger in any of the poses during this 10-minute morning yoga practice.

Knees to Chest

Start lying down on your back and pull your knees toward your chest. Place your hands on your knees and do a very simple knee pump motion by straightening your arms as you move your knees and thighs away from you.

Then bend your elbows and bring your thighs back toward you. As you do this, see if you can fully relax your legs, your hips, your lower back, and have your arms support your legs and make the movement happen. Let this be a very gentle and simple movement that helps you check in and see if there’s any discomfort in your lower back.

You can rotate your legs slightly so you’re making more of a circle with your knees. Then maybe you reverse the direction of those circles.

Happy Baby Pose

Now bring your knees back toward your chest and take them a little wider, toward your shoulders and armpits. You might want to stay here or you can come into Happy Baby Pose by grabbing hold of the outer edges of your shins or feet or by hooking your peace fingers around your big toes as you try to stack your ankles over your knees.

Even though this is a hip-opening pose, think of pushing your tailbone down into the mat, sliding your shoulder blades down your back, and making sure the entire length of your spine is still in contact with the floor. Maybe you rock a little side to side. See if your knees and thighs will open a little wider and draw them down toward the mat a little more.

Bridge Pose

Bring your feet flat on the mat, hip-distance apart. With your arms by your sides, push your palms into the mat as you lift your hips into Bridge Pose. Think of tucking the pelvis slightly under, pushing into your heels, and bringing your lower and mid back come off the mat. Hug your inner thighs toward each other so your knees don’t splay out to the sides. Then lower yourself to the mat.

You’re going to make this a dynamic Bridge Pose. So as you inhale, press your feet and lift your hips, and as you exhale, slowly make your way down to the mat. Take a few more repetitions like this. You want to really feel yourself rolling down, inch by inch, with each exhalation, almost like you’re massaging the spine with this movement.

Reclined Twist

Keep your back on the mat, open your arms straight out to the sides, and bend your elbows in a cactus shape. Lift your hips slightly and move them a little over to the right before letting both knees and thighs drop over to the left in a reclined twist. You can rest your left hand on your thigh to help encourage it to release toward the mat by providing a little traction.

You’re trying to stack your right hip on top of your left while reaching out long through that right arm and pressing that right shoulder blade down to the mat. So you’re reaching your right knee and your right shoulder away from each other.

As you inhale, squeeze a little through the abs to float the knees back to center and then twist to the other side. You might want to inch your hips a little to the left. When you’re ready, bring your knees back through, pull your thighs in toward your chest, and pause here.

Cat-Cow

Make your way to hands and knees, whether you roll onto one side or stay on your back and rock up and down the length of the spine to get a little momentum before you eventually cross your ankles and rock forward.

Plant your hands under your shoulders and bring your knees underneath your hips. As you inhale, lower your belly, lift your gaze, and arch your back in Cow Pose.

Then exhale and reverse this motion by rounding your back in Cat Pose. Keep going in and out of these two poses, flowing with your breath and noticing where there might be more stiffness or tightness as you try to get into every vertebrae of the spine.

Thread the Needle

Reach your right arm up toward the ceiling and then thread that right arm underneath you so your right shoulder and ear come down to the mat and your left arm is reaching across your chest. So both of your hands are actively pressing into the mat. You’re trying to feel the stretch in between the shoulder blades and along the mid and upper back. Lean a little onto your right knee to help keep your hips stacked directly over your knees rather than swaying to one side.  Relax through the neck and jaw.

Slowly lift ourselves all the way back out of the twist and reach your right arm up again. See if there’s a little more range of motion now. Then do the same thing on the other side.

Downward-Facing Dog

You’ll find your first Downward-Facing Dog by walking your hands a little forward, past your shoulders, and then tucking your toes under and lifting your hips all the way up and back. Bend your knees in any way that feels good here, focusing on lengthening out through the spine.

Scorpion Dog

Reach your right leg toward the ceiling, bend your right knee, and open your hip.

Lunge Twist

Step your right foot forward between your hands. Keep your left hand on the mat or a block as your right arm extends up toward the ceiling. So you want to stack your right shoulder on top of your left one while keeping the hips squared. Reach through your right fingertips.

Low Lunge

Slowly bring your right fingertips back to the mat and lower your back knee to the mat. Lift yourself upright into Low Lunge. Think of pulling the lower belly toward the spine and then bending your elbows into a cactus shape. Squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other as you keep your elbows as high as your shoulders. Maybe add a little backbend, lengthening the tailbone down so you’re not jamming or creating compression in your lower back.

Then bring your fingertips down to the mat, step back to Downward Dog, and repeat your hip-opening, Low Lunge Twist, and Low Lunge on the left side.

Downward-Facing Dog

Come back into Downward Dog one last time and stretch it all out.

Plank Pose

Then come forward into Plank, shifting your shoulders over your wrists, and pause here. Slowly lower yourself all the way to the mat.

Baby Cobra Variation

Slide your hands back toward your chest, pres the tops of your feet into the mat, and as you inhale, lift your chin, chest, and hands off the mat in Cobra. If it feels okay, lift a little higher. And then as you exhale, lower down to the mat. Repeat that twice more.

Rabbit Pose

Press your hips back toward your heels, bring your arms behind you, and grab hold of your feet. Bring your forehead down to the mat as you lift your hips off your heels, keeping hold of your feet. Let your back round here as you draw your lower belly in and up. See if you can feel a nice traction along the length of the spine. Then release.

Puppy Pose

Let’s take your final pose. Come to hands and knees and keep your hips directly over your knees as you walk your hands in front of you and melt your forehead and chest toward the mat in Puppy Pose. You want to feel the stretch getting into your chest a little. Take a few breaths here.

Closing

Then walk your hands in and take a seat in any way that is comfortable to you here. Release your shoulders down and away from your ears. Lengthen the crown of your head up.

Take a moment to notice how you feel now, just even with this short and simple flow, what has changed and shifted, not just in your body, but also how you feel in general?

Thank you so much for doing this short 10-minute morning yoga for back tightness class with me. I hope you can feel the effects of these poses along your spine.