Why Backbends In Yoga Feel So Hard (and What to Do About It)

Backbends don’t come naturally for many of us, and there’s good reason for that.

Most of us spend the majority of our days hunched over something...driving, typing, scrolling on our phones, cooking, or even just sitting on the couch. Our spines get used to rounding forward based on how we live our lives.

Then you walk into a yoga class and the teacher says, “Okay, let’s focus on backbends today!” And your body basically goes, “Uh…are you serious?”

You’ve essentially trained your body to move one way all day long, and now you’re asking it to do the opposite. No wonder these poses can feel awkward, stiff, or even painful!

In this article, I’m going to break down why backbends feel so challenging for some people and share a few movements that can help you unlock more strength, mobility, and freedom in your spine.

Backbends Aren’t Just About the Back

Many people think that backbends are just about bending the spine, but that’s only part of the picture. For your spine to move safely and without pain, the surrounding muscles and joints need to be on board too. Backbends are a team effort between your chest, shoulders, core, and the different sections of your spine.

Take the chest muscles, for example. When the pecs (pectoralis major and minor) are tight, they pull the shoulders forward and collapse the chest. That makes it much harder to lift and expand through the front of the body in a backbend.

Then there’s the thoracic spine (the upper and middle back). This section of the spine isn’t really built for backbends, but it does allow for a small amount of extension. When the thoracic gets stiff from hours of slouching, even that small range becomes hard to access. So instead of the movement spreading evenly through the spine, the lower back ends up taking over. That’s when you get that sharp, “pinchy” feeling in the lumbar spine because it’s doing more than its fair share.

The core also matters more than people realize. The deep abdominals and obliques stabilize the pelvis and keep the spine supported, so the lower back doesn’t take on all the effort. Without that support, backbends can feel more like strain than strength.

When you break it down this way, you can see why some backbends feel stiff or uncomfortable. It’s not just about “being flexible enough.” It’s about understanding which areas of your front AND back body need more opening, which need more strength, and how to get them working together.

That’s where prep work comes in. By targeting specific muscles with simple, focused movements, you can free up the areas that feel tight and strengthen the ones that need support.

Movements That Actually Help

Here are three of my go-to movements that make backbends feel way more doable:

• Supported Fish Pose
  This is a great way to passively open the chest and thoracic spine. Lie on your mat, with one block lengthways between your shoulder blades and another widthways under your head. Your arms can rest alongside the body (or overhead for more intensity). Rest here for a few breaths and notice if your upper back and front of the shoulders begin to soften.

• Baby Cobra
  Lie on your belly with hands under your shoulders and elbows close to your ribs. Use your upper back muscles to lift your chest away from the mat. Strengthening these muscles helps your spine support deeper backbends without overloading the lower back.

• Pec Stretch
  Tight pec muscles can pull your shoulders forward, restricting your chest and spine. Stand next to a wall and bend one arm into a goal-post shape. Place the forearm on the wall and gently turn your torso away from the wall. Focus on letting the front of the chest soften.

A little chest and shoulder opening and some thoracic mobility go a long way toward making backbends feel safe and supported. Practice these consistently, and what once felt pinchy or intimidating can start to feel open, powerful, and even freeing.

The Takeaway

If the teacher calls out Camel or Bow and your body goes “nope, not happening,” it doesn’t mean you’re bad at yoga. It just means your spine, shoulders, and chest could use a little extra prep before they’re ready to bend backward.

Want a full, guided practice? I’ve put together a 15-minute “Backbends for Stiff People” video that walks you through gentle, step-by-step movements to improve mobility and strength in your spine.