How to “Correct” Anterior Pelvic Tilt
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I’ve struggled with anterior pelvic tilt, or what’s sometimes referred to as swayback, my entire life. That means when I’m not consciously correcting my body, I stand with a forward tilt in my pelvis. My bum juts backward,there’s a big curve in my lower back,adn my stomach sticks forward. This is how my body wants to align. The problem is when you search for resources,you’ll find that manny anterior pelvic tilt exercises are promoted as “how to fix anterior pelvic tilt.” And although my forward tilt has improved a lot and I know all the things that can help, I can’t change my anatomy.
These anterior pelvic tilt exercises can certainly help alleviate some of the discomfort or pain. But nothing is going to magically “fix” your anterior pelvic tilt. It’s always going to be there.
You can, though, build awareness as you go through your yoga practice and your life and help correct your posture. That’s what will help you the most and what has made the biggest difference for me.
Many who experience pronounced anterior pelvic tilt don’t feel discomfort while others of us struggle with lower back pain. My exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt got really bad when I was a teen, which was before I started learning and understanding what I needed to do to adjust my posture.
As you observe yourself and practice ways to counteract your anterior pelvic tilt, you learn to become more aware of the way your body engages and aligns. With time, whether you’re on the mat or in your car or at the grocery store, you’ll be able to move in a way that will help your posture and prevent discomfort.
From what I’ve learned through physical therapy and yoga, the key thing you can do to help correct anterior pelvic tilt is strengthening the abdominals and the glutes and, on the flip side of the body, stretching the lower back and hip flexors. You can practice this during your yoga practice by lengthening your tailbone toward your heels, drawing your lower belly toward your lower back, and building an awareness of these and other actions that help tip your pelvis back to neutral when it wants to tilt forward.
I’ve cultivated the awareness and physical strength to bring my body back into proper posture and alignment. And that’s what you’ll take away from these exercises.
21 Anterior pelvic Tilt Exercises
These anterior pelvic tilt exercises are specifically designed to help you understand how to counter your forward pelvic tilt. They focus on strengthening your abdominals and glutes as well as stretching your hip flexors and lower back, all while helping you build an understanding of your body’s tendencies and how to correct them. You can practice them as a sequence or incorporate a few of them into your yoga practice or workout routine. The idea is that these
### 2. Bridge Pose
Bring both knees together again, feet flat on the mat, and rest your arms by your sides, palms facing up. Push your feet into the mat and squeeze through your glutes as you lift your hips into Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana).
it’s super meaningful here to think of lengthening your tailbone, stretching your lower back and pushing your heels into the mat. Try to drag your heels toward your shoulders, activating through your glutes and through your hamstrings. Try not to curl or tailbone up. Think of eliminating that pelvic tilt. You might not be able to lift your hips up as high when you keep the integrity of a neutral position through your hips and lower back, and that’s fine. If you find yourself tilting your pelvis forward, lower your hips slightly and focus on keeping your hips neutral.
Slowly lower yourself to the mat, inch by inch.
### 3. Tabletop Reverse Crunches
bring your hands behind the back of your head and keep your lower back on the mat as you use your abdominal strength to lift your head and shoulders.## 8 Exercises to Correct Anterior Pelvic Tilt & Relieve Lower Back Pain
Anterior pelvic tilt is a common postural issue where your pelvis tilts forward, increasing the curve in your lower back. this can lead to lower back pain,tightness in your hip flexors,and discomfort throughout your body. Fortunately, you can address this with targeted exercises. Here are eight exercises to help correct anterior pelvic tilt and find relief.
### 1. Pelvic Tilts
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Gently press your lower back into the floor, engaging your abdominal muscles. Hold for a few seconds, then release. This exercise helps strengthen your core and improve pelvic awareness.
### 2. Glute Bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the floor, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement. Hold for a few seconds,then slowly lower back down. glute bridges strengthen your glutes, which help support your pelvis.
### 3. Dead Bugs
Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your arms extended towards the ceiling. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg simultaneously, keeping your core engaged and your lower back pressed into the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Dead bugs improve core stability and coordination.
### 4. Hip Flexor Stretch
Kneel on one knee with the other foot flat on the floor in front of you.Gently push your hips forward,feeling a stretch in the front of your hip. Keep your back straight and your core engaged. This stretch helps release tight hip flexors, which contribute to anterior pelvic tilt.### 5. Reclined Twist
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.Extend your arms out to the sides.Gently drop both knees to the right side,keeping your shoulders flat on the floor. Try to stack your right hip on top of your left. Any kind of twist is really beneficial for stretching out your lower back, especially if your anterior pelvic tilt causes pain and discomfort. Some people have no negative symptoms with this type of posture, but it is still beneficial to stretch your lower back.
Release and repeat the Hip Flexor Stretch and Reclined Twist on your other side.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.Gently press your lower back into the mat, engaging your abdominal muscles. Hold for a few seconds, then release. Repeat 10-15 times.
### 2. Dead Bug
Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your arms extended towards the ceiling. Slowly lower your right arm and left leg simultaneously, keeping your lower back pressed into the mat.Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. Do 10-12 repetitions per side.
### 3.Glute Bridges
come back to Tabletop and step your right foot forward between your hands in Low Lunge.Start with your fingertips on the mat to stretch through the front of your left thigh.
Then add a twist here by flattening your left hand to the mat, bringing your right hand to your right thigh, and try to push your thigh away from you as you roll your right shoulder back and twist to the right and look down to the floor.Let gravity pull your hips down toward the mat.
13. Low Lunge
If I had to pick one of the most effective anterior pelvic tilt exercises, it would be Low Lunge. Come back to your Low Lunge shape and reach your arms alongside your ears. When you have anterior pelvic tilt, the tendency is to sink forward and toward the mat. But you want to lift the rib cage, find length along the back, and lift out of your lower back as you reach through your arms. Even if you do start to press your hips
### 16. Snake Pose
Slowly lower yourself to the mat. Before you come into Cobraknow that it’s super important to practice backbends properly. Just like Cow Pose, it’s easy to let your lower back take the brunt of this. Rather, push the tops of your feet and the pubic bone into the mat and lift your chest only as high as you can without letting the fronts of your hips come off the mat. You might not be lifting high at all.Think of focusing on your mid back and upper back more than anything else. Slowly release yourself to the mat.
### 17. Child’s pose
From Cobra Pose, press back and rest your hips on your heels and bring your forehead down to the mat in Child’s Pose. Keep your knees fairly close together and take 3 deep breaths here.
### 20.Standing Forward bend
Then step your left foot forward and come into a rag doll or a Standing Forward Bend. Your feet are at least hip-distance apart and you can bend your needs as much as you need. You want to experience a stretch throughout your lower back here.There’s no tension in your facial muscles or neck. You may want to sway a little side to side.
Then step both feet back into your last Downward-Facing Dog and come into High Lunge on your other side and then Standing Forward Bend.
21. Pelvic Tilts
Come onto your back again. One of my favorite anterior pelvic tilt exercises to do are these tiny pelvic tilts. They’re more like pelvic traction. So with your feet hip-distance apart on the mat, bring your palms to your upper thighs and push your hands into your thighs and, at the same time, see if you can lengthen and press your lower back closer to the mat. You want to feel a nice stretch through your lower back.
Then release the bracing of your thighs,press your lower back into the mat,and curl your front hips forward as if you’re scooping your low belly,so more like a posterior pelvic tilt,and then once more,come back to neutral pelvis,push your hands into your thighs and repeat.