Spine Stretch
Spine Stretch Instructions
Sit up tall with your best posture. Imagine your shoulders are directly over your sit bones so that you are neither leaning forward nor back. Your legs are extended about shoulder width apart, and your feet are flexed. If you are positioned on a yoga mat, your feet should land just outside of it.
Lengthen the back of your neck and reach the top of your head to the sky. Your shoulders should stay relaxed while your waist draws inward and upward.Inhale and extend your arms out in front of you, shoulder height.
The palms face down and your fingers lengthen forward. Be certain to keep your arms directly in line with the shoulders and to maintain a fixed width between the arms.
Exhale as you lengthen your spine into a large C-shape curve forward. Your objective is a high arc in the spine, a deep curve in the abdominal and, over time, reaching the crown of your head toward the mat.
Work to keep the legs engaged and straight as you deepen the stretch. The backs of your knees work down into the mat underneath you. The tops of your thighs contract to add to the straightening motion.
From the lowest, deepest point in the exercise, reverse the action and begin to roll up one vertebra at a time. This is known as "spinal articulation" in Pilates, and should be done smoothly. Sequence this roll-up action by starting to round up through the lower back, then the middle back, and then the upper back. Finally, the head comes fully upright. For the entire duration of this rolling up motion, the abdominal muscles are engaged and active drawing both in and up.
Spine Stretch Tips
Avoid any flattening of the spine.
Imagine a two-way stretch. Pull against your imaginary partner.
Spine Stretch Modifications
If your hamstrings are tight, sit on a raised surface, like a folded towel or a yoga block. You can also try this exercise with your knees bent.
Do Spine Stretch with the fingertips or palms sliding forward along the floor in front of you. This variation will take some pressure out of the shoulders and upper back.
Spine Stretch should follow Pelvic Curl
Imagine a two-way stretch. Pull against your imaginary partner.
Spine Stretch Modifications
If your hamstrings are tight, sit on a raised surface, like a folded towel or a yoga block. You can also try this exercise with your knees bent.
Do Spine Stretch with the fingertips or palms sliding forward along the floor in front of you. This variation will take some pressure out of the shoulders and upper back.
Spine Stretch should follow Pelvic Curl