Yoga for Fibromyalgia: 8 Gentle Poses for Pain and Stiffness
On a stiff, aching morning, exercise can feel impossible — but unrolling a mat and moving through a few slow shapes is a different invitation. Yoga for fibromyalgia is not about flexibility contests or complicated poses. At its gentlest, it is breathing, supported rest, and small movements that help you notice where you hold tension and let some of it go.
Practised carefully, a short routine can ease stiffness, calm a racing mind before sleep, and give you a quiet ritual that is entirely yours. You need no special clothes — just a soft surface, cushions, a folded blanket, and permission to stop whenever you need to.
How to Practise Safely With Fibromyalgia
Choose gentle, restorative, or slow hatha styles over fast, hot, or power-based classes, at least at first. Move gradually and stay inside a comfortable range — a mild stretch is enough; sharp, burning, or electric pain is a signal to come out. Use props generously: a cushion under your knees is not cheating, it is how you make a pose work for your body today.
Breathe slowly and rest between poses. Ten minutes, two or three times a week, is a sensible start. If a pose increases pain for more than a day, shorten the hold, add support, or leave it out. If you are pregnant, have a recent injury or surgery, severe osteoporosis, uncontrolled blood pressure, or neck or spine problems, check with your clinician first.
8 Gentle Poses for Pain and Stiffness
1. Child’s Pose (Balasana). Kneel on a cushion, sit hips back towards heels with knees wide, walk hands forward, and rest forehead on a cushion. Stay for five to ten breaths. Caution: If kneeling hurts, place a rolled blanket behind knees, or do this seated, arms on a table.
2. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana). On hands and knees, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, pad knees if needed. Inhale and gently drop belly, lifting chest a little. Exhale and round back towards the ceiling. Repeat for five to eight cycles. Caution: Avoid deep arching if it pinches your back. If wrists hurt, use forearms or do it seated.
3. Sphinx Pose. Lie on your front, legs extended. Place elbows under or slightly ahead of shoulders, forearms flat, and lift your chest just a little for five to eight breaths. Caution: This should feel like a small lift, not a crunch in your lower back. Slide elbows forward to reduce the bend, and skip it if it causes pain.
4. Supported Bridge Pose. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Press through your feet to lift hips only as high as feels easy, slide a firm cushion under your sacrum, and rest on it for one to two minutes. Caution: Avoid this after a recent back or neck injury, and do not turn your head while shoulders are loaded.
5. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani). Sit sideways beside a wall, swing legs up as you lie back, and rest heels against the wall. Rest arms by your sides for two to five minutes, breathing slowly. Caution: If the floor is difficult, rest calves on a chair instead. Come out slowly, rolling to one side, to avoid light-headedness.
6. Reclined Figure-Four Stretch. Lie on your back, knees bent. Cross right ankle over left thigh, above the knee. If you feel a gentle hip stretch, stay there; for more, draw left thigh towards you, holding behind it. Hold five to eight breaths, then switch sides. Caution: Never force your knee. After a hip replacement, wait until your clinician clears hip stretches.
7. Supine Spinal Twist. On your back, bend knees and let both drop slowly to one side, staggered if gentler. Extend the opposite arm out and rest the other hand lightly on your top thigh, without pressing knees down. Hold five to eight breaths per side. Caution: A cushion under knees reduces strain. Avoid it if it aggravates back pain or you have been advised against rotation.
8. Corpse Pose (Savasana). Lie on your back, cushion under knees, blanket over you. Let feet fall apart, arms away from body, palms up. Breathe naturally for two to five minutes, softening jaw and shoulders as you exhale. Caution: If lying flat feels uncomfortable, bend knees, lie on your side, or sit supported. Relaxation is the point — the shape is secondary.
Making Yoga a Sustainable Habit
Link practice to something you already do — after a morning shower, or while winding down before bed — and keep the mat visible. On a high-pain day, practice might be just Savasana and slow breathing, and that still counts. On a better day, you might move through all eight poses once.
If you join a class, tell the teacher about your fibromyalgia and that you may rest or use extra props. A good teacher will welcome that. Online sessions work well too, because you can pause or stop without feeling watched.
Progress rarely looks dramatic. It might be shoulders sitting lower by evening, or getting up from the floor feeling less daunting than last month. Those small shifts matter. Meet your body where it is today and let practice support you.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for general information and education only and is not medical advice. It does not replace guidance from your doctor or another qualified health professional. Check with your clinician or a physiotherapist before starting yoga, especially if you are pregnant or have a recent injury or surgery, osteoporosis, neck or spine problems, or uncontrolled blood pressure. Stop any pose that causes sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or weakness. Yoga may help some people manage stiffness and stress, but it is not a cure for fibromyalgia.