Back pain is common among Americans but it is especially common among horse riders. Like many riders, I had been fighting back pain for years. Mine was a result of a car accident as well as numerous shoulder dislocations from tumbles I had taken in my teen years from horses. I found some relief with prescription and over-the-counter pain relievers and muscle relaxants, chiropractors, massage therapists and physical therapists. But the one treatment that I had the least faith in proved to be the most valuable.

I had heard that Olympic dressage rider Robert Dover was suffering so greatly from back pain that he considered retiring. However, he found relief with yoga.

I was skeptical because I had tried a yoga class years before with some yogi who thought we should all be able to wrap our legs around our ears. But I gave it a shot again with some beginner yoga DVDs, note the emphasis on “beginner.” (If you’ve never performed yoga movements before, be forewarned that it’s easy to hurt yourself or get disenchanted with the intermediate and advanced poses.)

The following are very basic pose descriptions that can help you become more comfortable with your aching back.

Sit cross legged, arms diagonally down ward so fingertips touch the floor. Breathe in as you raise arms over your head, turning palms to face each other mid way. Breathe out and turn palms away from each other and bring fingertips back to resting position. Perform five more times.

Move to hands and knees, keeping weight distributed evenly over hands and knees, straight back. Inhale and arch back, bringing eyes and tailbone upward (cow pose). Hold for a second, exhale and round your back like a cat as you round your neck and let you eyes peer through to your knees (cat pose). Repeat five times.

Move to standing position, feet together, knees together, arms at sides. Allow shoulders and back to remain straight but relaxed. Raise arms in the same way you had while seated, turning palms up to face each other over your head. Turn palms away and slowly bring arms down to the sides. Repeat five times.

Putting hands on thighs and keeping back, neck and head aligned, slowly bend at the waste to lower your upper body. Bend your knees to maintain balance and not stress the back and to allow fingertips to lightly touch the ground alongside your feet. Exhale and allow a gentle stretch down your back and backs of your legs. Do not force or bounce. Inhale and lift your back, neck and head slightly, allowing fingertips to lightly come off the ground (only an inch or so). Exhale and return to the stretch, allowing fingertips to touch the ground. Perform six times in total.

Maintaining the bent over posture and bent knees, allow head, neck and back to quietly hang while crossing arms to hold your elbows in each palm, making a picture frame around your head. Hold for six breaths.

Take yourself now down to a kneeling position, allow your weight to sit over your heels, slowly lower your upper body, keeping your back, neck and head in alignment, with your arms stretched out in front of you, but keeping your weight still over your heels. Allow your forehead to rest on the ground—child’s pose. Feel the stretch in your back and shoulders as you breathe. Allow six breaths.

Slowly roll over onto your back, keeping knees bent. As you exhale, raise one knee to your hands over your chest to feel a slight stretch in your lower back. Slowly return the knee to the bent position and do the same for the other leg. Perform six times total.

Lower legs and allow them to relax with your toes pointing out or straight, whichever is most relaxing. Arms rest by your sides, with palms turned upward. Breathe deep into your belly for six breaths in this relaxing pose. When you are ready to rise, do so slowly, and feel rejuvenated.

You may decide to perform certain poses before and/or after you ride. Additionally, you can perform stretches and movements while riding. Rolling your shoulders up, back and down while riding can loosen up those tight shoulder muscles. Rolling your head gently to the left shoulder, down to the chest, up to the right shoulder, down to the chest, can loosen your neck. Next, stretch arms out in front of you, interlace fingers and turn palms away, stretch your arms straight in front, then up over your heard while breathing.

When you finish your ride, stretch your upper body down to your horse’s neck the way you did when you were a child rider in a mounted version of child’s pose. Let your arms drop down along the sides of his neck. Breathe, stretch and relax.

Once you’ve practiced these poses and stretches, you will be able to incorporate more that can address your specific back pain issues.

Namaste.