There is a Chinese proverb that says 'you are only as old as your spine is young'.
Good spinal health is foundational to allowing us to move optimally in almost all activities we do.
In this video we’re just focusing on 4 very simple movement variations that are excellent for improving spinal mobility.
We're demonstrating 2 reps of each movement but 5-10 of each would be ideal, time permitting. We’d also suggest performing the movements slower than demonstrated in the video - about half the speed shown.
Moving slowly and deliberately makes it easier for your body to wire in new movement pathways to give you access to the ranges of motion you are training. This reduces risk of injury because when (not if) the spine goes out of alignment it won’t be in unfamiliar territory.
1: CAT AND COW
A yoga staple. The cat and cow is possibly the simplest way to start to move the spine. Start in flexion (back rounded) then slowly turn your hips over and lift the chin and chest to get the spine into extension.
2: SPINAL ARTICULATIONS
An excellent variation on the cat and cow and great way to improve awareness as to which part of the spine is moving. The goal here is to move from the tailbone up to the head sequentially extending each vertebrae one at a time creating a wave pattern. Once extended move back into flexion the same way, from the hips up to the head.
3: CERVICAL FLEXION/EXTENSION
This one is all about the upper back. We’re locking the lower back into extension (arched) then moving the upper back into flexion and extension independent of the lower back.
4: LATERAL FLEXION
A nice addition to get us moving into different planes of motion. The goal is to get the spine to move into a C shape - sideways. We’re using the muscles on the outside of the body to pull the shoulder closer to the hip and vice-versa.
Give them a shot and let us know how you get on! You may even find you can breathe better after doing this! 🙌🏻 feel free to do this every day - the more the better!