Easy Exercise for Lower Back Pain

by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.

I’m sure you've experienced lower back pain at some point in your life. You may even be experiencing it right now.

In a society where we spend most of our time sitting on chairs and couches, tightness and pain in the lower back is all too common, and one of the most popular complaints from patients in our clinic. And while more chronic cases may not resolve so quickly, my hope is this article will empower you to better understand your pain as well as to provide you with a simple exercise to alleviate some of the discomfort right away.

Why You May Have Lower Back Pain

There are many reasons why you can develop lower back pain.

One cause is too much compression from excessive sitting or standing that causes the area around the lumbar spine to tighten up.

As we get older, not only do the Yin or fluid components of the body naturally diminish, but your spine (byway of gravity) also starts to compress. This is why it’s so important to preserve and replenish your Yin constantly through proper diet and rest and to prevent this compression in your spine through elongation exercises and movement practices like Yoga and Qi Gong.

By elongating your spine through these various practices as well as by hanging upside down or front a pull-up bar regularly, you’ll maintain the integrity of the intervertebral spaces in your spine. This helps prevent abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen, which can lead to spinal stenosis resulting in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots causing pain, numbness or weakness in the limbs.

Another cause of lower back pain may be related to burnout from a lack of sleep, excessive work, exercise or sex, or a diet filled with processed foods — all of which contribute to adrenal fatigue.

If you’ve been pushing your body too hard for too long or you’re not sleeping enough, you may start to excessively tax your adrenal glands, which can lead to hormonal and metabolic dysfunction.

The adrenal glands are a pair of endocrine glands located above your kidneys that produce a variety of hormones, including adrenaline and the steroids aldosterone and cortisol, that help regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential biological functions.

Your adrenal glands are associated with your Kidneys in Chinese Medicine so excessive taxation on the adrenals burdens your Kidney Qi, which can lead to lower back and knee pain, fatigue and premature aging, among a variety of other symptoms.

Lower back pain may also result from injury, as well as from psychological and emotional upset that’s mostly associated with fear.

Fear is the emotion of the Kidneys according to Chinese Medicine and since the Kidneys are located in your lower back, fear can trigger tension in this area of your body.

According to Louise Hay, author of You Can Heal Your Life, lower back pain may reflect your fear of money or lack of financial support.

And since I always believe that moving your body is essential to shifting your mind and mood, I think one of the best ways to shift out of an emotional state like fear that may be keeping you stuck is to move your body, simply and gently.

Easy Exercise for Lower Back Pain

The simple exercise I'm sharing with you today takes 2 minutes and can be done sitting on the floor with your legs crossed or sitting up on the edge of a chair.

It'll not only free your lower back, but it also helps to send energy up your spine to bring Qi to your brain for greater alertness, focus and concentration.

So if your back is tight from sitting around (or even standing) too much during this pandemic, you'll want to make this simple exercise part of your daily routine.

Often called Opening the Heavenly Pillar, this is an excellent exercise to help alleviate lower back pain, tension and stiffness and is gentle enough to do sitting in a chair or on the floor.

Make sure to go slowly at first then work up to more rapid rotations.

This is one of the easiest exercises for lower back pain and to release tension in the spine in general.

Taking just two minutes to open your spine can also reset your mood and help you feel more embodied.

Once you’ve practiced, let me know how this exercise made you feel in the comments below!

Feel Grounded in 10 Minutes: Yin Yoga for the Kidney & Lung Meridians

Feeling grounded means that there’s a strong connection between your Lungs and Kidneys so you can be more present in your body and breathe more deeply.

In Chinese Medicine, the Kidneys are said to grasp the Qi of the Lungs, which allows you to take deeper breaths.

The Lungs also direct body fluids downward to Kidneys and Bladder. Dysfunction in the communication between the Lungs and Kidneys can result in wheezing and asthma or accumulation of fluids either from the failure of the Lungs to descend the Qi or weakness in the Kidneys that prevent the grasping of the Lung Qi.

Each of the organ systems according to Chinese Medicine house an aspect of your soul.

The Lungs house the Po, the physical or substantive aspect of your soul, while the Kidneys house your willpower, known as Zhi.

Zhi drives the intention and effort required to accomplish things in life. This includes both effort and perseverance.

The connection between these two aspects helps you feel embodied and grounded.

Embodiment is essential to authentically practice mindfulness as well as gratitude.

This 10 minute Yin Yoga practice nourishes the Kidney meridian and opens the Lung meridian to help you strengthen your Kidney-Lung connection.

Yin Yoga is a powerful practice for all levels that calms your nervous system to reduce stress and even help you digest a variety of foods during the holiday season and beyond.

Once you’ve had a chance to practice with this video, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below —was your experience with this practice?

Yin Yoga Integration to Slow Down

If you've been striving but not getting the results you want in any aspect of your life, it's more than likely that your overactive, or Yang, qualities are inhibiting your Yin, or your ability to receive.

And if the world feels overstimulating and you just can't seem to find a sense of calm, this Yin Yoga practice is for you.

In this Yin Yoga practice, I'll guide you through a short Yin Yoga sequence to help release the Kidney, Liver and Bladder meridians.

According to Chinese Medicine, tension along the Bladder Sinew Meridian can lead to an overactive nervous system that can inhibit rest, relaxation, sleep, and digestion.

Through gentle, long held seated Yin Yoga postures that focus on releasing the Yang channels along the sides and back of your body, you'll begin to relax your nervous system, slow down internally and feel a greater sense of calm and ease.

Through this Yin Yoga Integration class, you’ll learn how less effort and a more clear intention can allow more of what you want in your life.

Your life has purpose and meaning.

Sometimes doing less will help you find what that is.

P.S. Doing a lot? You'll also want to read this to learn why it's important to let go in order to receive.

Trust the process: Yoga Integration to Strengthen Your Kidneys & Calm Your Heart

My father has a sense of faith unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Though he's not at all religious, he's really embodies what it means to be spiritual.

I’ve learned over time that my father's Water type personality makes it easier for him to trust the process as he navigates the ups and downs of life.

According to Chinese Medicine, Water energy is associated with the Kidneys, which hold your essential energy, or Jing, your life purpose and the important virtues of trust and faith.

Faith and trust provide you with the perspective to let go of control and allow the process to unfold, but also have the willpower to know when to take action.

When the Kidneys are compromised through stress and overwork, not only can adrenal exhaustion (aka feeling wired & tired) result, but your faith and willpower can also be compromised. Strengthening your Kidneys and the Water energy is also important to temper the Fire of the Heart to calm your anxiety and help you regain a sense of hope.

In this Yoga Integration practice, you’ll learn Yoga & Qi Gong exercises to help strengthen your Kidney energy so you can trust the process and stay motivated, even in the most uncertain times.

Yin Yoga Integration to Help You Breathe Deeply

Did you know that one of the most essential things you can do to shift from surviving to thriving is to remember to take deep breaths? 

Studies have shown that regular deep breathing can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve heart function, mood and memory. 

The deeper you breathe, the more calm your nervous system, the better your digestion and the more present you can be to deal with all of life's challenges.

But what if it feels too hard to take a deep breath?

According to Chinese Medicine, the Lungs have an important relationship with the Liver. If your Liver is too toxic or you're under a lot of stress, your Liver can insult your Lungs, resulting in chest tightness, diaphragmatic constriction and shortness of breath. 

In this Yoga Integration practice, you'll learn exercises to help you relax your Liver Qi and open your Lungs so you can let go of stress and anxiety, and finally breathe deeply.

Yin Yoga Integration for Balance

The only constant in life is change, and today the whole world is experiencing radical change. Perhaps now more than ever, we share a common need to find balance as we navigate and adjust to a new normal.

Whether these adjustments come easily or you're finding them difficult to make, cultivating balance in times of change is essential for your health.

In this Yoga practice you’ll learn simple, practical tools and exercises to help you balance physically, emotionally and mentally so you can adjust to the changes and create a greater sense of flow in every aspect of your life.

Yin Yoga Integration to Open Your Heart

Simply thinking about "self-love" can be triggering, especially amidst the social climate and dis-ease that we’re all experiencing. But here’s what’s important—if you don’t cultivate self-love, what will you have to give to others? To fill your cup till it runs over, you must open your heart and I’m going to show you how to do just that.

This Yoga Integration practice will support you to open your heart to greater possibilities, while reducing physical and emotional tension, including anxiety, to help break you out of feeling stuck and depleted. 

With an open heart, you’ll be more available to give and receive love, and be the change you want to see in this world.

Yin Yoga Integration to Boost Your Mood & Metabolism

Social distancing can be challenging but it doesn't mean losing connection with yourself.

In fact, creating space and spending more time at home is the perfect way to cultivate a meaningful practice.

This quick 40 minute practice will bring a wave of inspiration and freedom to your body and mind while boosting both your mood and metabolism.

Dragonfly Pose