autostretching0226

THE LOWER BACK 4.

Your difficulty is: Tight Muscles: Equipment:

Starting Position:

Stretching:

Stimulation:

Common Errors:

Bending backward just above waist level.

Muscles that bend lower back forward.

Firm, comfortable surface to lie on. Firm, round cushion, or rolled blanket or large towel.

Lie on your back on floor, buttocks close to wali, knees bent and feet on wali. Place cushion where you want stretch to take effect, but always so that pelvis and lower back stay raised from floor.

1.    Exhale and let pelvis sink down toward floor so that stretch is felt in belly. Tilt pelvis backward to 'puli taił between legs’ and tense lower belly up toward navel. This prevents arching of lower back.

2.    Inhale and tense belly muscles without raising pelvis; hołd for 5 seconds.

3.    Relax. Exhale and let pelvis sink further down toward floor; tilt pelvis backward and tense lower belly up toward navel, to prevent arching of back.

4.    Repeat until you feel you can stretch no further and muscles feel tight. Hołd this finał stretch from 15 seconds to a minutę or morę.

1.    Exhale.

2.    Arch back as much as you can at waist level.

3.    Hołd position a few seconds.

*    Cushion slides on floor.

*    Back arched too far down.

Notes:

Normal Mobility:

1.    Stretch should be felt only in chest and belly. If you feel pain or discomfort in back, down either leg, or in any other place, stop stretching immediately.

2.    You can use your hands to feel position and movement of pelvis and check that your back isn’t arched too far down.

3.    Effect of stretch may be increased by doing this exercise with legs straight, heels against wali.

You should be able to arch your lower back evenly up to waist level.

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