What has your experience been like trying gentle movement or yoga while living with chronic back pain, and what do you wish you'd known before starting?

Anyone else have a love-hate relationship with the mat when your back is having a bad day? I've been curious about gentle movement for a while now, mostly because I keep seeing people talk about yoga and chronic pain management stories online, but it's hard to know what's actually true versus what's just wishful thinking. Some days I feel like moving a little helps loosen things up, other days even the idea of stretching sounds like a terrible plan, and I know pain is different for everyone so I don't want to assume what works for one person will work for another. I guess what I'm really wondering is whether yoga really helps with chronic back pain in a lasting way, or if it's more of a "helps in the moment but doesn't fix anything" kind of thing. I've seen a few people mention things like morning yoga stretches for a stiff lower back, and others who lean more toward evening yoga for back pain and stress, so I'm curious if timing even makes a difference for anyone else. I'd also love to hear about the messier parts too, like how you figured out what your body could handle, what surprised you, or what you wish someone had told you before you rolled out a mat for the first time. What has your experience been like trying gentle movement or yoga while living with chronic back pain, and what do you wish you'd known before starting?