Thoracic spine
Open Book Rotation
Turn from the ribcage so the low back can stop twisting.
6 per side
Floor
Why we use it
Turning belongs in the ribcage. If the mid-back will not turn, the low back and neck will try to do it for you.
Start here
Lie on your side. Knees stacked and bent to 90°. Reach the top hand forward, then open it toward the ceiling and back.
How to
- 1Lie on your side. Knees stacked and bent to 90°. Head on a pillow or your arm.
- 2Reach the top hand forward, then open it toward the ceiling and toward the floor behind you.
- 3Eyes lead, then the hand, then the ribs. Keep the knees glued together.
- 4If the top knee lifts, you started turning from the low back. Make the arc smaller.
Feel for
A stretch through the chest and the back of the top rib — not a yank in the low back.
Breathing
Breathe out as you open. Pause where it is honest. Breathe in to return.
Do this
- — Eyes lead, then the hand, then the ribs.
- — Keep the knees glued. If they lift, you started turning from the low back.
- — Breathe out as you open. Pause where the stretch is honest, not heroic.
Common mistakes
- — The top knee lifts to fake extra range.
- — The neck cranks without the ribs.
Regression · Progression
Easier: Open only to the ceiling.
Harder: Hold a light reach at the end for 3 breaths.