Reduce back pain with this 10-minute bodyweight posture-correcting workout

This low-impact, gentle stretching session can straighten the shoulders and reduce back pain after a long day in the office

Yogi woman practices yoga stretching sitting on mat in studio gym
(Image credit: Getty Images)

You'll love this low-impact yoga routine if you have a sedentary work life and experience discomfort in your lower back. In only 10 minutes, your shoulders will feel less stiff, and your vertebrae more mobile. This home stretching session aims to improve your overall posture and increase your flexibility, and all that is required is an exercise mat for comfort. Ready? Let's go!

In only 10 minutes, Mady takes us through many yoga poses that focus on opening your shoulders, expanding the chest and mobilising the spine. The aim is to improve your overall posture and increase your flexibility. All that is required is an exercise mat for comfort. Each exercise should last for 30 seconds with a 10-seconds in between. The exercises:

  • Mindful shoulder circles 
  • Angel wings 
  • Cat cow 
  • Thoracic rotation (Right) 
  • Thoracic rotation (Left) 
  • Extended puppy pose 
  • Sphinx 
  • Locust pose 
  • Shoulder Stretch (Right) 
  • Shoulder Stretch (Left) 
  • Neck stretch 
  • Heart opener & easy twist 
  • Dynamic camel & leg shake 
  • Shoulder bridge 
  • Deep relaxation 

Enjoyed this? We have a T3-exclusive 15-minute lower back pain and hip mobility workout from Alo Moves instructor Ashley Gavin. Want to know how music idols stay fit using pilates and yoga? Check out Harry Styles' Pilates workout and Dua Lipa's yoga workout for more info. If you want to understand your fitness metrics better and identify areas to improve, you might want to invest in one of the best fitness trackers to help you get started. Some home gym equipment wouldn't hurt, either...

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.