A yoga teacher says these are the four moves you should do every day if you want to keep your back flexible as you age

Five people mix races wearing casual gym clothes white studio stretching upwards yoga pose.

Joseph Pilates—the founder of the movement system Pilates—once said: "You’re only as young as your spine is flexible." He also said: "If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young." I couldn’t agree more, which is why I always emphasise spinal mobility with my yoga and personal training clients.

There are five main types of spinal movements you need to practice to keep your back happy. These are extension, flexion, lateral flexion, rotation and axial extension. Flexion involves bending the spine forward, while extension is arching it backward. Lateral flexion is side bending left and right and rotational involves twisting the spine to enhance flexibility and range of motion. Axial extension is lifting and lengthening the spine upward.

By practicing the four exercises below every day, you'll move your spine through all of these movement patterns and maintain your flexibility.

Four moves to look after your spine

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Here are the four yoga postures I do regularly to tick off the movements everybody needs.

1. Palm tree pose (tadasana)

(Image credit: yanar alkayat)

Sets: 1 Reps: 5-10

• Stand with your feet together or hip-width apart, toes pointing forward.
• Interlock your fingers and place your palms on the top of your head.
• Fix your gaze at a point slightly above the eyeline.
• Engage your thighs and gently tuck your tailbone. Imagine your spine elongating.
• As you breathe in, come up onto your toes and raise your arms overhead. Feel the stretch through the whole body from your heels to your hands. Hold the breath for a moment here.
• Exhale as you bring your hands back to your head and heels to the floor. This is one rep.
• Optional: Keep the heels flat on the floor as you stretch the arms overhead if you find it difficult to balance on your toes

Benefits of this pose: This asana stretches the entire spine, helping to lengthen the muscles and ligaments while developing your sense of balance.

2. Swaying palm tree pose (tiryak tadasana)

(Image credit: yanar alkayat)

Sets: 1 Reps: 3-5 on each side

• Stand with feet more than shoulder width apart.
• Fix your gaze at a point in front.
• Interlock the fingers and turn the palms outward.
• Inhale as you raise the arms overhead, stretching upwards.
• Exhale as you bend to one side from the waist.
• Hold the position for a moment without bending forward or backward.
• Inhale as you return to center and repeat on the opposite side. That’s one round.

Benefits of this pose: The side movement enhances flexibility of the spine and lengthens the muscles along the sides of the torso. It also engages your core to stabilize the body during the bend.

3. Waist rotating pose (kati chakrasana)

(Image credit: yanar alkayat)

Sets: 1 Reps: 3-5 on each side

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your the sides.
• Inhale as you raise the arms up to shoulder height, parallel to the floor.
• Breathe out as you twist the body to the right. Allow your left hand to reach your right shoulder and your right hand to wrap around your lower back toward your left buttock. Look over your right shoulder if it’s comfortable.
• Exhale and hold, feeling the twist in the body. Keep your spine long and shoulders down and relaxed.
• Inhale as you return to the starting position with arms out to the sides. Repeat on the other side.

Benefits of this pose: This asana engages the neck, shoulders, chest, waist, spine and hips. It can help with loosening back stiffness and support a better posture. The dynamic nature of this posture can also help to renergize you.

4. Cat-cow (marjariasana)

(Image credit: yanar alkayat)

Sets: 1 Reps: 3-5 on each side

• Start in a tabletop position with hands aligned under the shoulders and knees under the hips.
• Inhale as you drop your belly toward the floor. Lengthen through the spine to lift your head and chin and feel the gentle arch in your back and a slight opening in the chest.
• Exhale as you tuck your chin toward your chest and round your back upward, drawing your belly button in toward your spine.
• Hold for a few moments with the breath out as you push your palms into the floor and feel the space between the shoulder blades. This is one round.
• Continue to alternate between cat and cow poses, moving smoothly with your breath.

Benefits of this pose:

This asana enhances flexion and extension in the spine, improving flexibility and overall mobility.

Benefits of these poses

Regularly practicing these moves will help to prevent or reduce stiffness, keep the vertebrae, discs and surrounding tissue healthy and reduce your risk of arthritis. Moving your spine through its natural ranges can also reduce your chances of injury, chronic back problems and strain on other parts of the body, which is particularly important for longevity.

When moving mindfully these moves can also help to develop better breath and body awareness and when the movements are synchronised with the breath, it can have a calming and balancing effect.