Yoga Poses for Back Pain Relief That Actually Target the Root Cause
If you spend your days at a desk in Glasgow and finish each evening with a dull ache running from your lower back into your hips, you already know that stretching “a bit more” has not fixed it. The problem is not laziness. It is that most quick-fix routines skip the muscles that actually need attention: the hip flexors, the piriformis, and the erectors that have been locked short all day. This video from Adriene Mishler is different. It works through a carefully sequenced set of yoga poses for back pain relief that address tension at the source, not just the symptom. Set aside 25 minutes and press play.
This video originally appeared here: YouTube video
This video originally appeared here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXz8fIZDCE
Why Glasgow Desk Workers and Drivers Feel This in Their Lower Back
Sitting compresses the lower spine and shortens the hip flexors at the same time. Over time, tight hip flexors pull the pelvis forward. This creates an exaggerated curve in the lower back that never fully lets go, even during sleep. Adriene’s sequence works directly against this pattern. The cat-cow moves at the start free up the spine bit by bit. The low lunge and supine twists lengthen the psoas and ease the sacroiliac joint — two areas that take the most strain from long commutes and prolonged sitting. If you run along the Clyde or cycle into the city centre, pay attention to the pigeon-prep variation. It targets the glute and piriformis tension that sends pain down the leg and is often mistaken for sciatica.
If you find the stretches help but the tension keeps coming back, that is a sign the tissue may need hands-on care too. Book a Thai massage session at our Glasgow City Centre studio and we can work on the deeper layers that video stretches cannot reach.
What to Focus On as You Follow Along
Watch how Adriene cues the breath before each move. That is not decorative. Breathing out into a stretch calms the nervous system’s hold on the muscle. It allows a deeper release than forcing the pose ever would. If your lower back rounds sharply in forward folds, bend your knees well. The goal is length through the spine, not straight legs. Notice also the core cues in the bridge pose. A gently braced core during spinal extension protects the discs. It also trains the deep stabilising muscles that desk work quietly switches off. These are the same principles behind deep tissue and sports massage work for back pain.
Regular movement like this makes a real difference to how your back feels day to day. If the stretches bring short-term relief but the tension keeps returning, that often means the tissue needs both hands-on treatment and mobility work. Book online now and we will work on the specific areas the video alone cannot reach.