Do you suffer from back pain? Gentle yoga positions designed to stretch and strengthen your back can help. Here are a few basic yoga positions that can help relieve back pain when done regularly.

Give these gentle yoga poses a try but don't attempt them if your pain is acute and always remember to listen to your body. If something hurts, don't do it! Move slowly and gently—Being too aggressive can make matters worse. Always check with your health care provider before beginning yoga or any exercise program.

Gentle Yoga Poses to Stretch and Strengthen your Back:

Pelvic Tilts

Pelvic tilts help to stretch the muscles of the low back, strengthen the abdominals and massage the spine and sacrum.

1. Lie on your back with your hands at your sides palms facing down.

2. Bend your knees and place your feet hip width apart on the floor, pointing your toes straight ahead.

3. Exhale and pull your naval towards your spine, contracting your abdominal muscles, and pushing your low back into the floor for a few seconds.

4. Inhale and relax your abdominal muscles, releasing your back from the floor.

5. Repeat 6 to 8 times.

Flowing Bridge
This yoga pose helps to strengthen and stretch your back, hips, thighs, and shoulders

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.

2. Place your arms at your sides, palms facing down.

3. Inhale as you curl your tailbone under and lift your hips up toward the ceiling, only going as high as comfortable.

4. Exhale as you roll back down, one vertebra at a time, returning your hips to the floor.

5. You can keep your hands at your sides, or as you raise your hips, lift your arms overhead, and as you lower your hips, lower your arms.

6. Repeat 8 to 10 times.

Reclining Knee-to-Chest Pose
This basic yoga pose gently relieves stress and discomfort in the low back.

1. Lie on your back with your head resting on the floor. Your knees should be bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.

2. Draw your right knee toward your chest, holding on to your shin or the back of your thigh. Hold for several seconds.

3. Return to starting position with feet on the floor, and then repeat on the left side.

4. Then hug both knees in to your chest and gently rock from side to side massaging your spine with the floor.

Reclining Spine Twist
This pose helps relieve tension and improve spinal flexibility.

1. Lie on your back with your head resting on the floor. Hug both knees into your chest and stretch your arms out to your sides slightly lower than shoulder level.

2. Exhale as you allow your knees to drop to the right and turn your head to the left. Your legs should come to the floor as you think about drawing your spine in toward your belly as you let your shoulders relax into the floor.

3. Inhale as you bring your knees up toward the ceiling.

4. Exhale as you repeat to the other side.

5. Repeat 1 or 2 more times on each side.

Reclining Hamstring Stretch
As its name implies, this exercise is designed to give your hamstrings a nice stretch, which can relieve.

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.

2. Draw your right knee in toward your chest and hold the back of your thigh, just below the knee, with both hands.

3. Extend your right leg up toward the ceiling, going only as far as feels comfortable. Release and hug your knee in again.

4. Repeat the extension 2 to 3 times and then hold the leg up for several seconds, feeling a nice stretch all along the back of your leg.

5. Return to starting position with knees bent and both feet flat on the floor.

6. Repeat the sequence on your left side.

Child's Pose

Child's Pose relaxes your back and neck, stretches your spine and provides a gentle squeeze to the abdominals. It is a good compensation or counter pose to back bends.

1. Come to hands and knees with your hands beneath your shoulders and knees beneath your hips.

2. Sit back on your heels, folding forward from the hips, trying to rest your torso on your thighs and your forehead to the floor. Only go as far as feels comfortable.

3. Place your arms on the floor next to your legs, palms up, or extend your arms on the floor in front of you with palms down (extended child's pose).

4. Let your shoulders relax.

5. If you are in extended child's pose, stretch your fingers out in front of you as far as you can and breathe into your upper back, allowing your back to open and stretch on inhale, and relax on exhale.

6. Remain in this position for 6 to 10 breaths.