Lower Back Immersion | Advanced Back Routine

Set aside extra time for this immersion when you want lower-back relief that lasts.

Upward Salute

Duration: 00:30

Sweep your arms skyward in upward salute to lengthen your spine and awaken your upper body.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Spine Upper Back Obliques Shoulders Chest Lats Abdomen

Instructions

Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides.
Sweep your arms out and up overhead, keeping hands shoulder-width apart.
Reach toward the ceiling while relaxing your shoulders and gazing slightly upward.

Tips

Ground evenly through both feet.
Engage your core to avoid arching your lower back.

Adjustments

Place your hands behind your head or on your hips if raising them overhead feels intense.

Toe Touch

Duration: 00:30

Fold forward from standing to stretch your hamstrings and lower back with a calming release.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Calves Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms relaxed by your sides.
Hinge at your hips to fold forward, lowering your torso toward your legs.
Relax your head, neck, and arms, aiming to place your palms on the floor.

Tips

Lengthen through your spine as you fold.
Keep legs straight but avoid locking your knees.

Adjustments

Rest your hands on shins or thighs if the floor feels out of reach.

Kneeling Psoas

Duration: 01:00

Lengthen your hip flexors and side body with a kneeling psoas stretch that feels incredible after long sitting sessions.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Psoas IT Band Obliques Hips Quadriceps Lower Back Lats

Instructions

Kneel with knees hip-width apart, then step one foot forward so both knees are bent at ninety degrees.
Raise the arm opposite your front leg overhead while the other hand rests on your hip.
Press your hips forward and reach up and slightly over with the lifted arm to open through the front of the hip and side body.
Hold for a few breaths, then switch sides.

Tips

Stack your front knee over the ankle for stability.
Keep the core engaged so the stretch stays supportive, not saggy.

Adjustments

Cushion your back knee with a folded mat or pillow if it feels sensitive.

Wide Leg Bend

Duration: 00:30

Fold forward with legs wide to stretch your hamstrings, hips, and lower back.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Groin Calves Hips Hamstrings Lower Back

Instructions

Stand with feet wide and toes pointing forward.
Hinge at your hips to fold forward, lowering your torso toward your legs.
Relax your head, neck, and arms, aiming to place your palms on the floor.

Tips

Lengthen through your spine as you fold.
Keep legs straight but avoid locking your knees.
Hold ankles and draw your head closer if you want more stretch.

Adjustments

Rest hands on shins or blocks if the floor feels far away.

Lunge

Duration: 01:00

Sink into a kneeling lunge to stretch your hip flexors and lengthen the front of your body.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Psoas Hips Quadriceps Lower Back Abdomen

Instructions

Start kneeling and step one foot forward, planting it flat in front of you.
Press your hips forward as you raise both arms overhead.
Lift through your chest and reach toward the ceiling while breathing deeply.

Tips

Keep the front knee stacked over the ankle for stability.
Press the top of your back foot into the floor to engage the rear leg.
Stay tall through your torso to avoid dumping into the lower back.

Adjustments

Rest your hands on your front thigh if reaching overhead feels intense.
Place a towel or cushion under your back knee for comfort.
Hold onto a wall or chair for balance when needed.

Reverse Lunge

Duration: 01:00

From a kneeling stance, extend one leg forward to stretch the backside while keeping your balance dialed in.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Calves Hips Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Begin kneeling with knees hip-width apart and tops of your feet on the floor.
Extend one leg forward, pressing the heel into the ground and keeping the leg straight.
Hinge at your hips to lower the torso toward the floor, placing hands down for balance.
Hold the stretch briefly, then switch legs.

Tips

Keep your chest lifted and back long even as you hinge forward.

Adjustments

Place a folded blanket under your kneeling knee for comfort.

Kneeling Quad

Duration: 01:00

Open up your quads and hip flexors with a kneeling stretch that hits all the right spots after a long run.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Psoas Hips Quadriceps Abdomen

Instructions

Kneel with knees hip-width apart, then step one foot forward into a lunge stance.
Reach back with the arm on the same side as your rear leg and catch your ankle, drawing the heel toward your glute.
Place the opposite hand on your front knee and gently press your hips forward while lifting your chest.

Tips

Stay tall through your torso instead of leaning forward or back.

Adjustments

Loop a strap or towel around your back foot if reaching with your hand is tough.
Keep the back foot on the floor if the quad stretch feels too intense.

Cat Cow

Duration: 00:30

Flow through cat and cow to mobilize your spine and melt away stiffness one breath at a time.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Spine Neck Upper Back Lower Back Abdomen

Instructions

Begin on hands and knees with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips.
Inhale as you drop your belly, lift your chest, and gaze forward or slightly up.
Exhale as you round your spine, draw the belly toward the ceiling, and tuck your chin.
Continue gliding between the two shapes in rhythm with your breath.

Tips

Move slowly enough that each vertebra gets a moment of attention.

Adjustments

Keep your head more neutral if your neck prefers less movement.

Upward Dog

Duration: 00:30

Press into upward dog to open your chest and stretch the front of your body with strength.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Psoas Spine Chest Abdomen

Instructions

Lie on your stomach with legs extended and hands under your shoulders.
Press into your palms, straighten your arms, and lift your chest and thighs off the floor.
Relax your shoulders away from your ears and gaze slightly upward.

Tips

Only your palms and the tops of your feet should touch the floor.
Keep arms straight without locking your elbows.

Adjustments

Keep thighs on the floor for a gentler version if needed.

Child's Pose

Duration: 00:30

Melt into child's pose to reset your breath and relax the back with a calming stretch.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Feet Shins Shoulders Hips Lower Back Ankles

Instructions

Start on hands and knees, then widen your knees while keeping big toes touching.
Sit your hips back toward your heels and reach your hands forward.
Lower your chest between your thighs and rest your forehead on the floor or a support.

Tips

Crawl your fingertips forward to deepen the stretch through the sides of your body.
Let your chest sink toward the ground with each exhale.

Adjustments

Keep knees closer together if that feels better for your hips.
Rest your forehead on a block, pillow, or folded blanket if it does not reach the floor.

Downward Dog

Duration: 00:30

Press back into downward dog to lengthen your spine, open the shoulders, and stretch the entire backside.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Calves Shoulders Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Start in tabletop, tuck your toes, and press through your hands to lift hips up and back.
Straighten your legs as much as feels good while keeping a soft bend in the knees.
Reach your chest toward your thighs and lengthen through your spine as your heels reach toward the floor.

Tips

Let your head hang between your arms so your neck relaxes.
Spread weight evenly between hands and feet.
Keep knees slightly bent if hamstrings feel tight.

Adjustments

Bend the knees more deeply or elevate hands on a chair for a lighter option.
Come onto your forearms or place a block under your hands if wrists need relief.

Pigeon

Duration: 01:00

Settle into pigeon pose to melt tension in your hips, glutes, and lower back.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Benefits: Groin Psoas IT Band Hips Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

From tabletop, bring one knee forward behind the same-side wrist and angle the shin toward the opposite hip.
Slide the back leg straight behind you as you square your hips toward the floor.
Lower your torso over the front leg and rest on your forearms or hands while breathing deeply.

Tips

Keep hips level rather than collapsing to one side.

Adjustments

Place a folded blanket or block under the bent-leg hip for support.
Stay upright with hands on the floor if folding forward feels too intense.

Folded Butterfly

Duration: 00:30

Fold over your butterfly legs to stretch the lower back and inner thighs with a calming release.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Knees Groin Hips Lower Back

Instructions

Sit with legs extended, then bring the soles of your feet together and let knees drop out to the sides.
Place your hands on the floor in front of you and hinge forward from the hips.
Let your head and neck relax toward your feet while you breathe into the stretch.

Tips

Allow the weight of your head to deepen the stretch gently.

Adjustments

Sit on a folded blanket to give your hips more space if they feel tight.
Stay more upright if a forward fold feels intense today.

Seated Twist

Duration: 01:00

Twist from a seated position to wring out your spine and open your chest.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Spine IT Band Upper Back Obliques Hips Chest Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Sit with legs extended, then cross one foot over the opposite thigh and plant it on the floor.
Lengthen through your spine and place the opposite elbow outside the lifted knee while the other hand grounds behind you.
Twist your torso and turn your gaze over the back shoulder as you breathe deeply.

Tips

Grow tall through the crown of your head before deepening the twist.

Adjustments

Keep the bottom leg extended or bend it underneath you based on comfort.
Hug the knee with your arm instead of using the elbow for a gentler variation.

Seated Fold

Duration: 00:30

Reach forward from a tall seat to stretch your hamstrings and back with a calming fold.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Calves Spine Upper Back Shoulders Hamstrings Lower Back

Instructions

Sit with legs extended and reach your arms overhead to lengthen your spine.
Hinge at the hips and fold forward, reaching for your toes, shins, or ankles.
Hold the stretch while breathing slowly, keeping your spine long.

Tips

Focus on hinging from the hips instead of rounding your back.

Adjustments

Use a strap around your feet or keep hands on your shins if your toes feel far away.
Keep a slight bend in the knees if your hamstrings are tight.

Quad Stretch

Duration: 01:00

Stretch your quads by tucking one foot beside you and leaning back into a deep, satisfying release.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Knees Shins Hips Quadriceps Lower Back Ankles

Instructions

Sit with legs extended, then bend one knee and draw the heel back toward your glute.
Hold the ankle and tuck the foot directly under your hip.
Lean back onto your elbows or as far as comfortable while breathing into the stretch.

Tips

Keep your hips, knees, and ankles in one line.
Make sure the foot stays tucked under your glute rather than flaring out to the side.

Adjustments

Loop a strap around your foot if reaching the ankle feels tough.
Lie on your side and pull the foot toward you for a softer variation if your knees are sensitive.

Lying Figure Four

Duration: 01:00

Ease into a lying figure four to release tight glutes and soothe your lower back.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: IT Band Hips Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh just above the knee.
Lift the bottom leg and clasp hands behind the thigh, gently pulling the legs toward your chest.

Tips

Relax your head and shoulders on the floor.
Keep your lower back pressing gently into the mat.

Adjustments

Loop a strap behind your thigh if reach is an issue.
Leave the bottom foot on the floor for a lighter stretch.

Spinal Twist

Duration: 01:00

Twist gently on your back to stretch your spine, chest, and glutes all at once.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Spine IT Band Upper Back Obliques Chest Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Lie on your back with legs extended and arms by your sides.
Bend one knee and place the foot on the floor.
Lower the bent knee across your body toward the opposite side while your torso and hips twist.
Place your opposite hand on the outside of the bent knee and extend the other arm out to the side.

Tips

Keep both shoulders grounded on the floor.

Adjustments

Support the bent knee with a cushion or block if needed.

Pelvic Tilt Press

Duration: 00:30

Use a gentle pelvic tilt to teach your lower back how to relax and your core how to engage.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Lower Back

Instructions

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Engage your core to tilt your pelvis upward and press your lower back into the mat.
Keep arms relaxed by your sides and hold the position for a breath before releasing.

Tips

Draw your navel toward your spine to initiate the movement.
Let your glutes stay soft so the action comes from your core.

Adjustments

Perform the same motion standing with your back against a wall if the floor feels uncomfortable.

Single Knee-to-Chest

Duration: 01:00

Hug one knee at a time toward your chest to ease tension in your lower back and hips.

Difficulty: Beginner

Benefits: Hips Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Lie on your back with legs extended and arms by your sides.
Bend one knee and draw it toward your chest, clasping your shin with both hands.
Gently pull the knee closer while keeping the opposite leg long and relaxed.

Tips

Relax your head and neck on the floor.
Keep hips square and lower back grounded.

Adjustments

Hold behind your thigh or use a towel around your knee if reaching your shin is difficult.

Plow

Duration: 00:30

Roll into plow pose to stretch your spine and hamstrings while giving your nervous system a calming reset.

Difficulty: Advanced

Benefits: Calves Spine Neck Upper Back Shoulders Hamstrings Lower Back Glutes

Instructions

Lie on your back with legs extended and arms by your sides.
Engage your core to lift your legs overhead, supporting your lower back with your hands.
Lower your feet toward the floor behind your head and, if they touch, extend your arms along the mat with palms down.

Tips

Keep legs straight and toes reaching toward the floor.
Relax your neck and avoid turning your head while in the pose.

Adjustments

Hold your hips with your hands if your feet do not reach the floor.
Bend your knees slightly if straight legs feel too intense.

Wrap up with slow breathing and let your back enjoy the freedom you just earned.