{"id":152034,"date":"2025-12-04T12:13:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=152034"},"modified":"2025-12-04T12:13:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T17:13:53","slug":"yoga-for-runners-poses-to-give-your-lower-back-some-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/sections\/training\/yoga-for-runners-poses-to-give-your-lower-back-some-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoga for runners: poses to give your lower back some love"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you run a lot and sit even more, odds are your lower back has filed a complaint or two. The trick to feeling better is finding stretches that don\u2019t just feel nice for a minute, but actually loosen the spots runners tend to overload\u2014hips, glutes and the small muscles around the spine. These four poses target those areas without forcing you into a pretzel.<\/p>\n

\"yoga<\/p>\n

Deer pose<\/h2>\n

Deer pose (a gentler cousin of pigeon pose<\/a>) opens the outer hip and low back without the knee strain that pigeon pose can bring. This feels great after hill work or long runs when everything feels compressed.<\/p>\n

Sit with your right leg bent in front of you, shin at a loose diagonal.<\/p>\n

Fold your left leg behind you, also bent, so your knees point in opposite directions.<\/p>\n

Lean your torso forward over the front shin until you feel a slow, spreading stretch.<\/p>\n

Stay for 6\u20138 deep breaths, then switch sides.<\/p>\n

Modification:<\/strong> Sit on a folded towel to lift your hips and reduce pressure on the knees.<\/p>\n