Lower back pain - the cause and how to fix it

Yoga and the female body

Personalising your yoga journey for your body

I've been teaching yoga for over ten years now and fully understand that our approach to anything whether it's health, yoga or our food isn't a one size fits all.

It's certainly a long journey and we're all at different places.

Whether your body is only just recovering from having a baby or you've been doing yoga for over 20 years but feel like you're on a plateau and need some additional guidance; we still need to learn and grow to keep us moving forward on our journeys.   

I got some lovely feedback after class at the Storyhouse which is reassuring for my journey. So thank you. 

Posture and the female body - a recap 

I wanted to do a bit of a recap as it was such an useful, albeit short, workshop that I ran at Storyhouse in March 2024.  

We all have different body types but there are some key fundamentals that I see time and time again from my teaching experience.

The main thing I see mostly in women is an arched lower back. Essentially this arched lower back is due to a very strong, tight lower back and without addressing the underlying causes this will continue to get stronger and tighter and eventually lead to lower back pain.

The lower back muscles are basically pulling the pelvis upwards from the back so we end up with this forward pelvic tilt, which then causes other problems throughout the body, which may even show up before the lower back pain kicks in. 

Once the pelvis starts tilting forwards it leads to an inward roll in of the thighs and knees, which then effect pain in our knees and sometimes shows up in our feet; often seen as flat or no arches in the feet.

Very little core strength is required to go about your daily business as the lower back is doing all of the work.

Our core strength is vital to our overall mobility and a strong, healthy posture and stance. If you start running for example with very little core strength, this lower back issue will rear its ugly head a lot quicker! It also has an impact on our hips too as we end up using the arched back to open the hips, giving us a false sense of how tight our hips actually are! Typically our spine would round to open the hips, not arch.

This constant arching (tightening) of the lower back is something that happens over time, as we age and slowly creeps up on us. 

Although not restricted just to women, it's typically more common as women bear and carry children; as well as wearing high heels and just generally how our posture is supposed to be perceived as a society. 

How to correct and support your lower back

If you're already feeling back pain, you can stretch and round the back to feel a short term release. Child's pose, a standing or seated forward fold and down dog are all good for this but make sure that the lower back is rounded to fully feel the benefits of this stretch. To really ensure that you're rounding your lower back, press your lower back in the opposite direction to the feet. This will engage the front of the body (some of the core muscles) slightly to release the pressure from the lower back and give you a deeper stretch. 

In the long term, you want to be strengthening the opposite muscles so the core muscles on the front of the body. Other muscles to strengthen that will help in the long run are the hip flexors and the glutes which will help take some of the pressure off those tight lower back muscles. 

Over the years, I've tailored my yoga classes to ensure that people switch on and engage the right muscles for their body as they practise to help them gain a better understanding and awareness of what their individual body needs most. This leads to faster progress and less aches, pains and niggles. 

I've also created a 15 minute core programme which is a great bolt on to your day or other fitness/hobbies to help you strengthen these key muscles like the core, hip flexors, glutes and upper body strength. These are tested and tried exercises that we do every weekday morning for just 15 minutes. They wake you up; switch on those core muscles for the day and they're designed specifically for people with that tight lower back.  

If a few things rang true for you in this then why not give my Membership, which includes the Core Classes a go. Chat with me via the contact form on the website, on email or even give me a call, to learn more about what you need to prioritise specifically and then join our morning core classes to start consistently building strength. You'll get access to the yoga classes as well and can catch up at a time to suit you via the library.  

Alice George says; “I’m tall so I’ve struggled with a tight lower back and painful hips, especially after two kids. I’ve been doing Emma’s core classes for two years now and I’m addicted. I don’t get lower back ache anymore and my general mobility and stronger, especially riding my bike.”

You can also use the code: 'Get-me-strong' for £15 off your first week or month of Membership. 

Dive into my 15 minute Core Strength classes to start taking the pressure off your lower back and start building that stronger, healthier body that you deserve.