If you work at a computer all day then you know how important flexibility is. You back becomes sore and stiff if you don’t get up once in awhile to stretch and move around. It is impossible to maintain perfect posture all day long while you are working so you need to take action to prevent back pain from getting worse. The best way to do that is by doing lower back exercises, particularly the standing forward bend.

This lower back exercise helps strengthen your hamstrings and entire back as well. The standing forward bend also improves poor sitting posture, relieves a sore tailbone and aligns your neck. If you frequently have back pain after working at your computer for long stretches of time then this exercise can help you by making your back stronger and more flexible. It may even help prevent serious back problems from plaguing you later in life.

The standing forward bend is easy to do and can even be done at the office since all you need is a place to stand. To do this exercise, stand with your feet beside each other and bend forward from your hips. Exhale as you bend forward. Do what feels comfortable and do not force your head down if your back is tight. Be relaxed. This can be an advanced yoga exercise but you should do it according to your abilities.

People who do the advanced version of this exercise are able to place their hands flat on the floor. If you cannot do that, don’t worry, you will still get a lot of benefit. In fact, to do the advanced version you need to warm up your muscles first and you don’t have time to do that at work. A full posture program would be an added benefit but this exercise by itself will help you a lot. Anyone can do the simple forward bend and there is no need to warm up first so it is an ideal exercise to do throughout the day. Stay relaxed and make slow movements.

* Stand with your back straight and your feet positioned at hip width

* Place your hands on your hips

* Lean your upper body forward and down while keeping your knees straight.

* Let your arms hang down towards the ground

* Breath and relax

* Remain in this position for one minute

* Roll your back into the standing position leaving your head for last

Throughout the exercise, pay attention to any points of tension that you may have. The mere act of body awareness will bring relief to the tense areas. This is a wonderful property of attention: it can calm many discomforts in the body.

This version of the forward bend is very good for relieving tension all throughout the back, but especially in the lower back area that receives so much abuse while sitting. If you take advantage of this low back exercise then you’ll be able to relax those muscles and get the relief needed to keep your productivity levels high and eliminate the low back pain.

You will get the best results from this back exercise if you do it as part of your daily routine. It doesn’t take much time so you can fit it in several times a day like when you first get up in the morning, during your breaks at work, before lunch, and right before you go to bed. This will help relieve the pain you have now and will also help prevent problems with pain in the future.

Lower back pain is frustrating. You can get temporary relief with over the counter pain relievers, but a better approach is to get permanent relief in a natural way by doing posture exercises. You will become more flexible, relieve muscle tension and lose the aggravation of dealing with chronic pain.