Supine Spinal Twist

Even without a regular, busy schedule of school and related activities, summertime can have its own business. Lugging all the beach and pool stuff back and forth can get exhausting. If  you are traveling, the packing, unpacking and transporting all the luggage can get tiring as well. Over time, this can cause imbalances in our bodies and sometimes we just need to stop everything, re-set and re-charge. This move is just the thing to re-align your spine and mind. This move stretches the lower back and hips as well as chest and shoulders. Internally, it is effective at massaging internal organs and aiding digestion. Lie on your back (that’s the supine part), with your knees bent, feet flat and hip width apart, and arms to the side. Gently lower both knees to the right until they touch the floor (or as low as they will go) and turn your head to the left. Close your eyes and take in 3-5 deep breaths. Engaging your abdominals, bring your knees and head back to center and then over to the other side and repeat.

Notes: Breathe deeply and regularly throughout. Do as many repetitions as you need or repeat throughout the day as needed. This stretch should feel good — it should not be painful at all. If there is pain or discomfort, move your feet farther from your bum or place a pillow under the bottom knee and/or between both knees for extra support. Relax and allow gravity to do the work for you.