Chapters (4)

Threading the needle - a thoracic spine stretch

Six Physio · 0:47

In this practice

Key teachings

Maintaining neutral spine in foundational poses
Isolated movement of the thoracic spine
Protecting the lower back during spinal rotation

Ideal for

Individuals who sit at a desk for long periods
Those seeking to improve upper back mobility
People experiencing mild lower back stiffness

Lesson

Instructions

This is a great stretch for all who have been sitting at a desk all day - gives you mobility in your thoracic spine while taking the pressure off your lower back.

Steps

All Fours (Tabletop) position
Thread the Needle pose (Parsva Balasana variation)
Bilateral practice for balanced mobility

Benefits

Increases thoracic spine mobility
Relieves pressure and discomfort in the lower back
Improves posture, especially for those who sit frequently
Releases tension in the upper back and shoulders

Transcript

another great stretch for your thoracic spine is like this so on all fours on the floor same great position chin tucked in slightly hands on these shoulders still got your puddle of water sitting into your back that's called threading the needle this is where you take weight on your right hand and you're now going to take your left hand and thread it underneath so you're now trying to get movement through here but keeping this bit still and you could do both sides of it and what you do when you do it you feel no pain at all and your lower back because you're trying to keep that bit still when you're making your thoracic spine move and we want to do this to maintain mobility up here and take the load and the pressure off your lower back

Practice summary

Level: all levels
Duration: 2 minutes
Equipment: yoga mat
Target areas: thoracic spineshouldersupper back
Energy: calming

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