With the amount of time we spend on our iPhones these days, bodywork professionals are beginning to notice population-wide changes in people’s spines: a flattening in the upper thoracic spine, and a jutting forward of the cervical vertebrae. Both of these combined can lead to long term changes, as your spine needs to be properly aligned to support your heavy head all day! When not in alignment, the forces bearing down on the spine wear on the joints with multiple times the force, leading to wear and tear faster.
Cat-Cow Stretch
Cat-Cow is my favourite yoga stretch for maintaining spinal curve and mobility between vertebrae. This exercise helps stretch the joints, creating fresh lubricating fluid and massaging the whole joint surface. It also helps to hone muscle control of the tiny muscles along the spine – very important for postural support!
Start on a padded surface on all fours. Make sure your hips and shoulders are square, and keep a slight bend in your elbows. Inhale, and arch your back starting from the hips and moving your focus all the way up to your head, look slightly upwards. Try and feel each and every spinal segment -tailbone to base of skull – moving into extension here, and bring awareness to where your spine feels stuck, or hypermobile (a mirror helps). Now exhale, starting at the hips again to arch into flexion like a cat, rolling the tailbone under, tucking the pelvis, pushing up through the back of the ribs and letting the head drop and hang slightly on the neck. Gaze should be down to the floor. Repeat both movements for 10 nice long breaths.