This is an absolute must if your low back is tight and sore.
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Starting Position
We call this 4 point kneeling:
4 Point Kneeling Starting position
Kneel on all fours, hands directly underneath your shoulders and knees directly underneath your hips and hip width apart.
Neutral pelvis (maintain the natural curves of your spine), feel as if you are pushing the floor away from you – this helps to stabilise the shoulder girdle.
Keep your head lifted, back of the neck long and eye level down towards the floor.
Action
• Move 1: Breathe in, keep your spine in its neutral position and rock forwards.
• Breathe out, keeping your spine neutral and rock as far back as you can so long as you can maintain a neutral spine. Repeat this 6 times and return to your starting position.
• Move 2: On your next out breath, tuck the pelvis under and push your low back up towards the ceiling, breathe in to release your back down to neutral. Repeat 6 times and return to your starting position.
• Move 3: On your next out breath, connect your abdominals and firstly tuck your pelvis under, pushing your back up towards the ceiling and letting the head drop in.
• Take a breath in here and then on your next out breath, maintain this flexed position (cat) and rock back, breathe in as you rock forward, maintaining the flexed position, and continue this rocking motion 6 times. On the final time, go all the way back into your rest position.
Keep spine neutral and rock as far back as you can
Tuck the pelvis under and push your low back up towards the ceiling
Maintain this flexed position (cat) and rock back
Tips
• When rocking backwards and forwards with a neutral spine, think “stick your bottom out’! This helps to keep the spine neutral as we all have a tendency to tuck the pelvis under and not notice. You are not trying to create a dip in your low back (extension), but to maintain your natural curves in your spine.
• Most of us will be tight in the hips and will not be able to rock too far back without tucking under: if possible, use a mirror so you can keep an eye on your spine.
• When you tuck the pelvis under in move 2, make sure that it is just your low back that you are pushing up towards the ceiling and not the whole of your back like we do in the Cat.
• When rocking back and forth in move 3, you can now be in your Cat position. You will have to maintain a very strong abdominal connection to hold the flexion in the spine as you rock forwards.
• Take your time with this exercise and do not rush.