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Yoga for posture: a 25-minute back-strengthening practice

A 25-minute yoga practice for posture that does what the research says changes it: strengthening the muscles along your back and between your shoulder blades, rather than only stretching. It follows the shape of the one yoga trial for a rounded upper back: on your back and on all fours first, then face-down back lifts, then standing poses with your arms raised. Exercise changes posture only a little, and it can't straighten bones that have fractured or grown wedge-shaped, but it builds the muscles that hold you upright.

25 minBeginner15 movesNo equipmentNeck · Back · Abs · Glutes · Calves · Quads
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Settle

  1. Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)2 min
    Beginner · 3D demoLie on your back with your knees bent. Breathe in through your nose for about 4 and out for about 6Easier: Breath reachHarder: Crocodile breathing (prone diaphragmatic breathing)

Wake up the spine

  1. Lying chin tuck5 holds of up to 10 s
    Beginner · Neck · 3D demoStill on your back, nod gently so the back of your neck lengthens; your head stays restingHarder: Chin tuck
  2. Cat-cow8 waves
    Beginner · Back, Abs · 3D demoOn all fours, slower than feels natural. With osteoporosis, keep the rounding smallHarder: Half lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
  3. Thread the needle (Parivrtta Balasana)About 5 slow breaths each side
    Beginner · Back, Shoulders · 3D demoSlide one arm under the other and rest your shoulder and the side of your head down. Ease off if your neck complainsEasier: Side-lying open bookHarder: World's greatest stretch

Back strength

  1. Bird dog, one limb at a time5 each arm and leg, holding 3 to 5 s
    Beginner · Abs, Back, Glutes · 3D demoReach long rather than high. Move on to the full bird dog, one arm and the opposite leg, when you're steadyEasier: Side-lying tummy draw-inHarder: Bird dog
  2. Sphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)2 holds of 3 to 5 breaths
    Beginner · Back, Abs, Chest · 3D demoOn your forearms, elbows under your shoulders. Lengthen forward through the top of your headHarder: Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
  3. Low cobra (Bhujangasana)5 lifts, held 3 to 5 s
    Beginner · Back, Chest, Shoulders · 3D demoLift with your back, not your arms, hands barely pressing. Rest your forehead on your hands between liftsEasier: Sphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)Harder: Cobra pose (Bhujangasana)
  4. Locust pose (Salabhasana)3 to 5 lifts, held 3 to 5 s
    Beginner · Back, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoArms by your sides at first; when that's easy, reach them forward. Neck long, eyes down. Lower if your low back pinchesEasier: Seated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Harder: One-legged bow (half locust)

Stand tall

  1. Mountain pose (Tadasana)5 to 10 slow breaths
    Beginner · Calves, Back, Abs · 3D demoWeight even on both feet; let the crown of your head riseHarder: Tree pose (Vrksasana)
  2. Breath reach5 breaths
    Beginner · 3D demoArms float up as you breathe in and down on a longer breath outHarder: Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)
  3. High lunge (crescent lunge, Ashta Chandrasana)3 to 5 breaths each side
    Intermediate · Quads, Glutes, Hip flexors · 3D demoBack knee down if you wobble. Arms up by your ears, or lower if your shoulders or neck complainEasier: Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)Harder: Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
  4. Chair pose (Utkatasana)3 holds of 5 breaths
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoSit back as if onto a tall stool, chest lifted, arms forward or upHarder: Revolved chair pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)
  5. Tree pose (Vrksasana)3 to 5 breaths each side
    Beginner · Glutes, Hip abductors, Calves · 3D demoA hand near a wall. Rest your foot on your ankle or calf, never pressed into the side of your kneeEasier: Mountain pose (Tadasana)Harder: Standing hand-to-big-toe pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

Finish

  1. Glute bridge8 to 10 slow lifts
    Beginner · Glutes, Hamstrings, Abs · 3D demoBreathe out as you lift, and stop before your ribs flareEasier: Pelvic tilt into bridgeHarder: Single-leg glute bridge
  2. Corpse pose (Savasana)5 min
    Beginner · 3D demoKnees on a cushion if your low back aches

Tips

  • Do it 2 or 3 times a week. In trials, strengthening exercises changed posture a little, and stretching on its own didn't.
  • Hold each back lift for 3 to 5 seconds and lower slowly: that's the dose the UK osteoporosis consensus suggests for back-strengthening exercises.
  • With osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, keep the rounding in cat-cow small, and leave deep forward folds, plough and shoulder stand out of other classes.
  • Change position often through the day. Physiotherapists say there's no perfect posture: your best posture is your next one.
  • New hunching or height loss, especially after 50, after the menopause or if you take steroids, needs a GP: it can be a sign of a spinal fracture.
  • Stop a back lift if it sends pain, tingling or numbness down a leg.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the yoga for posture: a 25-minute back-strengthening practice take?

About 25 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

No equipment: your body and some floor space. A mat makes floor work more comfortable.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 8 of its 15 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.