Try this low-impact stretch routine to reduce lower back pain in just 15 minutes

Make flexibility your new year's resolution and start stretching more today

Directly above shot of relaxed young woman doing yoga on exercise mat in studio
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Completing yoga-style stretches pre and post-workouts can be pivotal for avoiding lower back pain that inevitably arises when sitting for too long in the office. Stretching workouts such as this can help maintain the natural curvature of your spine, improving your posture. The yoga-inspired poses in this stretching routine enhance your muscles' flexibility and range of movement, alleviating soreness and even preventing injury.

Plus, yoga has therapeutic benefits, as slow movements and deeper breathing can help you relax after an intense workout – yet another reason you should do more stretching exercises in the new year! It helps decompress after a long day at work, both physically and mentally. Ready to relax? Of course, you are. Let's go!

This isn't the first workout we shared from German yoga fitness influencer Mady Morrison, and probably not the last, either. Here, we're shown several yoga-style stretches to help alleviate lower back pain relief and tightness in your hips. Do each pose for 30 seconds with a 10-second break in between. The whole workout shouldn't last longer than 15 minutes. The list of exercises featured in the video:

  • Spine mobilisation
  • Seated side stretch (Right)
  • Seated side stretch (Left)
  • 90/90 hip rotation
  • Butterfly forward fold
  • Walk the dog
  • Deep lunge (Right)
  • Deep lunge hip opener (Right)
  • Half pigeon pose (Right)
  • Seated twist (Left
  • Down dog
  • Deep lunge (Left)
  • Deep lunge hip opener (Left)
  • Half pigeon pose (Left)
  • Seated twist (Right)
  • Straddle forward fold
  • Knee to chest (Right)
  • Lying twist (Right)
  • Knee to chest (Left)
  • Lying twist (Left)
  • Happy baby
  • Deep relaxation

Want to try more no-equipment workouts? We have a 20-minute home HIIT workout to get your heart rate pulsing. Ever used a resistance band? This versatile equipment is great for a myriad of workouts, including this 5-minute ab workout. Have you experienced muscle pain long after your workout has finished? You may be suffering from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) we recommend checking out this revolutionary stretch to help combat this.

Meg Walters
Freelance journalist

Meg is a British-Canadian freelance writer based in southeast London. She can usually be found writing about classic films, rom-coms, period dramas, TV, Millennials, pop culture, books, style, lifestyle and fitness. Her writing has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Refinery29, GQ, Stylist, The i, i-D, Little White Lies, Insider and more.