Extension Progression Flow for Extending Your Back

Do you remember doing back bends as a kid? I do–and with such ease!

As we age, we lose some of that flexibility in our back, especially if we spend much of our day hunched and slumped while we are focused on our work. We stand up and feel extra stiff as we encourage our bodies to come back into neutral–never mind beyond neutral and arching our backs into a spinal or back extension!

Sitting at a desk isn’t the only reason back extension can be limited.

If you have endometriosis, bladder pain, and other types of abdominal or pelvic pain, you may have days where you are not able to extend your back very far.

Or, you may find that when you walk while wearing a backpack you lean forward, shorten your stride length, and decrease hip extension when your leg is behind your body. Because the fascial system in your body is all connected, extending your back is good for your hip and vice versa.

There are many scenarios where arching your back could be uncomfortable or painful at first and easing into it would be beneficial.

Spinal extension and spinal flexion: the yin and yang of your back

When you arch your back, you are performing spinal extension. The Cow Pose is a good example of this.

The Cow Pose is one of several back extension yoga poses

Back extension postures help counter the curled position of your back when your shoulders are hunched forward, which is called spinal flexion.

There is nothing inherently bad about spinal flexion. In fact, we often practice spinal flexion with Cat Pose.

Spinal flexion isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We do it in Child’s Pose or Cat Pose as shown above.

Another example is Child’s Pose, which is useful for stretching the back, hips and thighs.

Where we run into problems is when we don’t have the full range of motion available to us that we are trying to use. We often see this when picking up something heavy with a curled spine. If you can’t extend your back and hold it straight to use your legs to lift, then you are at risk of injury.

Easing into back extension with the Extension Progression Flow

Choosing extension-based yoga postures and stretches offers us the choice to mobilize into the opposite direction of where most of our daily movement occurs.

I put this progression together for my patients who have limitations with back extension or need to grade the amount they extend their back from day to day.

The progression starts with lying prone on your stomach. Sometimes, this just enough extension. In fact, when I hurt my back last weekend, this was all the extension I was able to do for a day.

If you are able to move beyond lying prone on your stomach, the next step is to add some movement, like wipers.

From wipers, you lift your shoulders into Sphinx Pose and then Seal.

Get the guide for the Extension Progression Flow, complete with pictures and instructions.

Get the Extension Progression Flow

The flow is designed to allow the individual to listen to their body and let their tissue response guide the progression into spinal extension.

Having a history of disc issues, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and endometriosis, I find that I need to do this progression several times a week. I would feel even better if I did it every day (note to self). It really helps keep my back from locking up.

Modifications to the Extension Progression Flow

If you have abdominal or pelvic pain (e.g. endometriosis or bladder pain), you may have days where you can only lay flat (versus knees bent) to get extension.

If you are in you at the end of your first or into your second trimester, you might feel comfortable trying Sphinx Pose with your pelvis on a bolster and forearms on blocks.

This progression is also helpful to do before starting a vinyasa class. If your body is like mine, I can’t just jump into sun salutations, especially Upward Facing Dog.

My hope is that by offering this extension progression you will be able to vary the amount of extension you are able to achieve from day to day and listen to your body.

If you are looking for another yoga program with extension postures, try Yoga for Interstitial Cystitis.