Yoga for upper back pain: 5 easy stretches that will bring relief

Tense shoulders, a painful neck, and the resulting headache – a typical day in the life for anyone who tends to “store” their stress in the upper back.

I know this feeling all too well. But during my years of yoga practice, I also discovered how a few targeted stretches can make all the difference between crippling upper back pain and a feeling of deep relief.

Have a look at these yoga poses for upper back pain. And then practice them! Just looking won’t fix your discomfort.

Yoga poses for upper back pain

Before I show you my own favorite Yoga stretches for upper back pain, I want to remind you to always consult a physician if you have back problems.

Doing Yoga to release some tension is awesome, but if you have a real problem, definitely ask your doctor before you try anything else!

Alright, now let’s get to these Yoga poses!

1. Child’s pose

Child’s pose is an amazing pose. You can use it to rest in between more strenuous Yoga workouts. Or to relax before bed. But it’s also really awesome to stretch your upper back and release tension between your shoulder blades!

So if you’re looking for relief for upper back pain between the shoulder blades, try this!

Related: 6 Yoga poses for neck pain relief & shoulder relaxation

To get into child’s pose, come on all fours and then, without picking up your hands, move your hips back until you sit on your heels. This way, your upper body rests on your thighs and your face moves towards the floor.

Let your forehead sink into the floor. You could stay like this and it would already be a version of child’s pose.

But to really let the muscles between the shoulder blades release, I like to bring my arms alongside the body. Then, let your shoulders relax and imagine you’re breathing into your upper back.

Gravity and your breathing will help release tension you’ve build there. Sooooo relaxing!!

(Who said that yoga for upper back pain relief needs to be difficult to do?)

Child’s pose is probably one of the most accessible restorative yoga poses for back pain. I personally really like to practice it when I am doing some yoga for a sore upper back, after having lifted something heavy, for example.

Related: 12 of the best restorative yoga gifts for some yogic R&R

2. Cat-cow pose

No matter which part of the back you’re experiencing pain in, cat-cow pose will be helpful to you!

This yoga pose is a real “spine rejuvenator” and helps put you back into balance.

Come on all fours, hips over knees and shoulders over wrists. On an in-breath, move your collarbones up, as if you want to reach your chest to the ceiling. At the same time, also reach your tailbone up and let your belly drop.

Do not move your legs or hands. This is a spine movement only.

When you breathe out, push into your hands and knees and round your back up like a cat. Let your head and tailbone hang down and really stretch out your back.

This is a very good pose for upper back pain between your shoulder blades!

Keep doing this for a few cycles of breaths. Feels good, doesn’t it?

3. Puppy pose

This pose, like the name suggests, is kind of a “smaller” version of dog pose. Downward dog pose, to be specific.

But while downward facing dog helps to straighten your spine and to build up strength, puppy pose is more a Yoga pose to stretch your upper back and shoulders.

Again, come on all fours. From here, keep your hips over your knees and start walking your hands forward until your arms are straight.

This means that your upper body moves towards the floor. If it’s comfortable for your neck, you can also rest your forehead on the floor.

Try to not move your shoulders up to your ears. Instead, keep your shoulder blades on your back.

Breathe into your upper back. You can also imagine your upper back melting into the floor. Just let it relax completely.

Hold this for a few breaths and then slowly walk your hands back in.

4. Cobra pose

Cobra pose is one of the most popular backbends in Yoga. If done correctly, it can also be a really good help and prevention for upper back pain.

To get this benefit, you need to distribute the bend over the whole spine. Unfortunately, many beginners bend only in the lower back.

This leads to compression in the lower back and, ultimately, to back pain from Yoga! Not what we want at all! But I digress.

Let’s get back to Cobra pose and how to do it for upper back pain.

Lie down on your stomach with your hands under your shoulders. Firm your legs and feet into the floor.

On an inhale, start lifting your back of the floor. The trick here is, to barely help with your hands. Use those upper back muscles!

You can imagine peeling yourself off the floor. Be sure to keep your spine lengthened. Only go as far as your back muscles can pull you, and on an out-breath relax back to the floor.

Repeat this a couple of times and notice what this does to your upper back!

Related: Yoga for lower back pain: How to find sweet relief

5. Eagle Arms

Another nice Yoga pose to stretch your upper back are the Eagle arms.

Be really careful with this pose though. It can be quite intense for the shoulders. Never stretch until you feel pain. The stretch should always feel nice, never painful!

As long as you are careful though, it is one of the most often recommended yoga moves for upper back pain!

Describing eagle arms without showing it is very confusing, so I’ll put a video from for you below where someone from expertvillage shows you exactly how to do this stretch.

Your turn: Go practice these Yoga poses for upper back pain!

Alright, now that I showed you my favorite Yoga poses to help with upper back pain, it’s your turn! Try them all out, repeat the ones you like and ideally even find a way to make them part of your daily routine. Your back will thank you for it!

And, as usual, if this post was useful for you, share it with someone else!