Dana Santas, known as the “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”

Do you wake up feeling tight and stiff? If you’re one of the estimated 619 million people globally with lower back pain, that early morning discomfort is more than an annoyance. The first movements of the day play a significant role in how your back feels as the day unfolds.

Yet most people try to push through the stiffness rather than addressing it with care. Within minutes of getting out of bed, they move through poorly supported, forward-bending positions — leaning over a sink, slouching over devices, bending to get dressed — without first restoring a stable functional range of motion.

Starting the day from a foundation of compromised movement can lead to increased risk of injury and worsening tension as the day progresses.

A brief, intentional morning mobility routine interrupts that cycle. Spending just a few minutes to relieve tension and restore alignment prepares your body for upright, weight-bearing movement and full motion to tackle daily demands. Over time, using a corrective exercise routine every morning also can help address underlying drivers of chronic back pain and posture problems.

You don’t need an intense workout or stretching session. Eight minutes of gentle, focused mobility can help you move more comfortably throughout the day and stay ahead of tension rather than reacting to it.

Overnight, while your spine is largely unloaded as you sleep, it undergoes a rehydration process to replace spinal fluid that was naturally forced out of the discs during daily movement. The rehydrated discs occupy slightly more space within the spinal joints first thing in the morning, making your spine feel stiffer and less adaptable upon waking.

That increased stiffness is one reason movement can feel harder early in the day. The rigidity also explains why the spine is especially sensitive to how movement is reintroduced after sleep.

If the first moves of your day are poorly aligned, rushed or extreme — such as bending forward deeply to touch your toes — your nervous system, sensing spinal rigidity, may react with acute protective muscle tension as a guarding mechanism. This response is often the explanation behind the familiar story of “my back locked up while I was just reaching down to put on my shoes.”

Gentle movement paired with slow, intentional breathing helps calm your nervous system and ease your spine back into movement. The goal of a morning routine is to allow joints and tissues to regain safe, functional motion before being asked to stabilize or bear load.

This routine is designed to be done on a yoga or exercise mat on the floor before breakfast. Move slowly, breathe through each position and avoid forcing any range of motion. After completing it, you should feel more fluid and stable, not overstretched or fatigued.

Before beginning this or any exercise program, consult your doctor or physical therapist. Stop immediately if you experience pain.

Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width on the floor. Hold a yoga block or folded pillow between your knees. Place both hands on your lower ribs to feel and guide their movement as you breathe.

Using a 5-7-3 breathing pattern, inhale through your nose for a count of five, exhale slowly for a count of seven, then pause for a count of three before your next breath. Take six total breaths, allowing the lower ribs to expand outward with each inhale and gently draw inward with each exhale.

Extending your exhales longer than your inhales helps relax the nervous system and reduce protective muscle tension, allowing your pelvis, rib cage and spine to settle into a less rigid, more aligned position.

Restore pelvic alignment and deep core engagement (90 seconds)

Remain on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, continuing the same 5-7-3 breathing pattern. As you inhale, gently tilt your pelvis forward, moving your lower back into a small arch. As you exhale, use your deep core muscles to help tilt your pelvis back, with your lower back flattening toward the floor.

Move slowly and smoothly, pairing each pelvic tilt with your breath through a total of six breaths. This movement reintroduces safe, gentle motion to the lumbar spine and pelvis without any load while reinforcing core support. After six breaths, pause in a neutral position that feels balanced and comfortable.

Gently release hamstrings and wake up ankles (1 minute)

From the same position, remove the pillow or block and, leaving one foot on the floor, slowly straighten the opposite leg toward the ceiling. Keep your head down on the mat and arms at your sides as you gently draw your straight leg toward your upper body. Hold where you feel a mild stretching sensation — not a deep stretch — in your hamstrings (the muscles on the back of your upper leg) and can keep your leg extended without bending your knee.

While maintaining the position of your straight leg, spread your toes and make slow ankle circles in both directions for about 30 seconds total. Repeat on the other side.

The hamstrings attach to the pelvis, so releasing tension in these muscles helps restore pelvic alignment and decrease low-back strain. Waking up the ankles and feet helps prepare your foundation of support for standing and walking later in the day.

Initiate glute activation and release tight hip flexors (2 minutes)

Return to the initial position with both feet on the floor and knees bent with the block or pillow between them. Exhale as you tilt your pelvis back, flattening your lower back toward the floor as you did in the preceding pelvic alignment exercise. This positioning helps release your hip flexors (the muscles on the front of your hip joint).

At the end of your exhale — before inhaling — press through your feet, engaging your glutes to lift your hips. Hold the bridge 3 to 4 inches off the floor — just high enough to avoid arching or straining your lower back. Take three steady breaths, then lower with control. Repeat this sequence three times for a total of nine breaths.

This exercise does double duty: It prepares the glutes to support the spine once you’re upright while releasing tight hip flexors that pull the pelvis forward and increase lumbar compression.

Lie on your side with your knees bent to 90 degrees, aligned with your hips. Place a yoga block or folded pillow between your knees and use a pad or pillow under your head to keep your neck neutral.

Reach both arms straight out on the floor in front of you. Inhale as you slowly lift your top arm open and rotate from your mid-back to reach toward the floor on the opposite side, turning your head to follow your arm. Place your bottom hand on the outside of your top leg to help hold it in place, keeping your knees and hips stacked.

Move only as far as you can without forcing the rotation or feeling strain in your low back. Hold for five slow breaths, then repeat on the other side.

Restoring mid-back rotation reduces strain on the lower back, which is built for stability, not twisting.

Chronic back pain often follows the same day-to-day patterns. What happens in the first minutes after waking can either reinforce those patterns or interrupt them. By consistently starting your mornings with a short mobility routine, you help your spine meet daily demands from a place of readiness rather than protection — setting the stage for lasting improvements in back health and resilience.

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