This stretching exercise is a must if you sit down all day — here’s how to mobilize your spine from top to bottom according to a yoga instructor

If you have five or ten spare minutes and one of the best yoga mats or even just a thick blanket and enough floor space, you have everything you need to try a reclined twist, a simple exercise that helps mobilize the spine.

It's a straightforward move many people will already recognise. For those who are new to it or want a refresher, certified yoga and Pilates instructor Anouska Shenn has shared a demonstration and explains why giving your back this kind of regular care is so important.

According to Shenn, "The reclined twist helps to mobilise the spine from top to bottom, and especially the mid-back, where we tend to be the most stiff." So let's take a look at how to do the move.

Anouska Shenn

How to do a reclined twist

Exercise instructions

1. Lie down on your back and open your arms out wide.
2. Bring your knees half way to your chest.
3. Allow the knees to lower to one side, rotating from your spine.
4. Turn your head to look over the opposite shoulder.
5. Relax your shoulders away from your ears.
6. Get as broad as you can across your upper back.
7. Without straining, see if you can bring your hip bones towards stacking.
8. Hold for 5-10 breaths and repeat on the other side.

If you need to modify the exercise slightly to make it easier for you, then instructor Shenn also provided some tips on how to do this safely. She recommends grabbing a yoga block or cushion and either placing it between the knees or under your butt to help make the stretch feel less aggressive.

If you try it and think I want this kind of relief on my back when I'm at work, but don't want to get on the floor in the middle of the office, then Shenn suggests trying it on a chair at your desk.

She explains how: "To do so, keep the knees together and twist from your waist, bringing your opposite hand outside your knee, and other arm back behind you in line with your shoulder."

Why do our backs hold tension?

There are lots of reasons our backs tend to hold tension, from long hours sitting to daily stress and lack of movement. But when I asked Shenn, she pointed to posture as a big factor.

“The short answer is posture,” she says. When we sit or stand with our joints stacked, the body is at its most stable and uses the least amount of muscular effort. In this position, the spine sits in its natural S-shape, which helps absorb forces efficiently.

The problem is that most of us spend large parts of the day out of this default alignment. When that happens, the muscles of the back have to work harder to keep us upright, and over time they can become overactive, achy, and tense.

Shenn says one of the best ways to manage this is to remember to return to good posture when you can and to move regularly throughout the day, even if it's just spending five or ten minutes doing reclined twists.

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