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How to do - Gate Pose (Parighāsana) & the Quadratus Lumborum
The Quadratus Lumborum (QL) is an underrated powerhouse of the core, often overshadowed by its more well-known counterparts like the abdominals and obliques. Despite its low profile, the QL plays a critical role in spinal stability, posture, and movement. Deeply situated in the abdomen, it attaches on either side of the lumbar spine (as shown in the image below, where the QL is highlighted in red). Functioning as both a stabilizer and a lateral flexor—or in simpler terms, helping the spine bend sideways—the QL is vital for more than just yoga practitioners. A healthy QL can mean the difference between fluid, pain-free movement and chronic discomfort.
The QL and Back Pain
In my experience working with students dealing with acute (short-term) back pain, a tight or "unhappy" QL is often a major contributor. When this muscle tightens excessively—often due to overuse from activities like running, lifting, or repetitive movements without adequate stretching—it can compress the lower back. This compression limits the space between the bones of the lower back - creating that feeling of heaviness in the lower back which then results in discomfort and pain.
Image Below
Here, I'm holding the spine like a guitar. The red bones represent your lumbar spine, the blue bones are the thoracic spine (where your ribs attach and from where we should rotate), and the orange bones are the small yet very mobile cervical bones, also known as neck bones.
In between these bones are discs that act like shock absorbers, creating hydraulics when we walk. These discs, much like me in public, love space. They don't like to feel squashed or restricted. If they do get squashed and compressed, the compression can limit the space available for the nerves to exit (shown in yellow below).
When this happens, your brain initiates an inflammatory response, which can cause pain. It's all a bit more nuanced than that, but that's the gist of it in simplified terms.
The Role of the QL
The Quadratus Lumborum (QL) works tirelessly all day to stabilize your spine, maintain posture, and support your pelvis. Think of it as the cable stays of a suspension bridge, holding everything steady as you move. Whether you’re carrying a heavy suitcase, twisting in a seated pose, or bending sideways in Gate Pose, the QL is at work, ensuring your movements are smooth and supported.
The problem is, this muscle can get overworked and feel tight or restricted. When it tightens up as a protective mechanism, it can compress the lower back. In theory, this brings the lumbar bones closer together, restricting the space the disc has to "breathe." To better understand, if you look at the image below, an overly tight QL (highlighted in orange) can pull the spine to one side, creating an ache in the lower back. If both QL muscles on either side are tight, they pull downward, compressing the lower back. The QL can’t pull you to one side if both are tight—it simply compresses.
Stretching the QL in Gate Pose
In the image below, taken from our TT poses manual (during our Woking days when I was younger and way more mobile), I am stretching my QL on my left side. My right QL contracts to pull me to the right, stretching the left side. If I overreach with my left arm, I can end up stretching my lat muscles (under my armpit). When practising this stretch, Gate Pose, my focus is on the QL—I imagine creating space between my left hip and the ribs on the left side.
Here is a video taken from our Anatomy COD course - where I teach the correct way to practise the Gate Pose.
Breathing and Relaxation in Gate Pose
I cannot emphasize enough just how beneficial the Gate Pose is. Many people who suffer from lower back pain (not chronic) simply have an overworked and tight QL. It needs to be stretched and told to relax. Breathing is just as vital as the pose itself. If you breathe erratically, through your mouth, or too shallowly, your brain may interpret the pose as stressful and tighten up the muscles even more. In many respects, you’d be better off not doing the pose.
Instead, practice nasal breathing with a sense of calm. The muscle needs oxygen and a stress-free environment to release and "surrender."
Backbending and the QL
The QL also stabilizes us in backbends. When the QL is tight, you may feel backbends in your lower back—which you shouldn’t. A good hack is to do Gate Pose or any QL stretch before backbending to see if it improves the sensation. Anecdotally, this has worked well for me, and I now always teach this pose before backbends.
In the image above, from the Woking days, you can see that I’m bending too much from my lower back. Part of this was due to my QL. Once I started stretching my QL beforehand, I began feeling the pose less in my lower back and more in the front of my body—where it should be (as you can see from the image below).
Give it a go and see how you get on :)
Zahir Akram - Eternal Seeker
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