Seated lower back stretch

1. 1Sit on the floor with both legs straight out in front of you and your hands resting beside your hips. Sit up tall so your weight is balanced on your sitting bones rather than rolling back.
2. 2Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor outside your left thigh. Keep the left leg long, or bend it in toward you if that feels easier on the hip.
3. 3Place your right hand on the floor behind you and hook your left elbow or forearm outside the right knee. Lengthen upward through the top of your head first.
4. 4Breathe out and turn your chest slowly to the right, using the arm against the knee for gentle leverage. Turn your head last, and stop at the point where the stretch is steady rather than sharp.
5. 5Hold there and keep breathing, letting the twist deepen a little on each exhale rather than forcing it. Unwind slowly to the middle, then set up and repeat on the other side so both sides get the same time.

• Rounding the back and collapsing into the twist, which shortens the spine instead of rotating it.

  →Fix: Reset by sitting tall and growing upward through the crown of your head before you turn again.

• Cranking hard on the knee with the arm to force more rotation.

  →Fix: Use the arm as a light anchor only, and let the breath do the work of easing you deeper.

• Holding your breath while you hold the position.

  →Fix: Keep a slow, even breathing rhythm, exhaling as you settle a little further into the turn.

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