Now we’re going to do a little thoracic mobility with the foam roller. So you can get really creative and depending on your body, some of the techniques will look like what I’m doing and some of them may not. Eventually over time as you reclaim the flexibility that you had as a child in your upper back, you’re gonna find it a lot easier to arch back. I often joke around with my one-on-one people and I say they’ll get a free session when they can put their pelvis on one side and their head on the other. Now I wouldn’t recommend that as the first move of the day. I’m going to show you how to get that flexibility back in your spine. So you’re going to start with the roller right across your shoulder blade area.
And the cool part is if it’s there, great. If it’s up there, great. It doesn’t matter because essentially we want our spine to be flexible in every angle. Interlace your fingers and place them behind your head. Take a deep breath. As you open your elbows, look behind you. Inhale. Notice that when I lift my head, I initiate by tucking my chin and pulling the base of my skull away from my shoulders. And then I curl up into the forward position, squeeze the tummy and look down. And notice that when I bring my head back, I don’t just throw it back, but keep the chin tucked and initiate by sliding back, looking at my knees the whole time as if I had a pencil under my chin.
Still holding the pencil, still holding the pencil. And then at the last minute, let it go. You may not touch the floor for a long time, maybe not even ever, but you’re working on reclaiming this range in your upper back. Initiate your movement by tucking your chin and curling back up. You could do that up to 20 times. And you could do it with the roller down an inch and get a totally different experience. So every little fulcrum point which would be where the roller is on your spine, is going to create a different flexibility. Another fun one that helps open up rotation in your upper back looks like this. Hands are interlaced, feet are wide, nice deep breaths, slow motion, I’m turning to the side.
Notice that this knee didn’t move and this hip is still down as opposed to everything going. So you’re not so much focused on getting your elbow to the floor, but more focused on not moving your pelvis. So if your pelvis is stable and you can only go to here, that’s good. Focus on your breathing and turn your head. See where you’re going. This is going to improve the flexibility of your rib cage, help soften the tension that can build up in this area. Along with that movement, we come with actually rolling the upper back. So before the hips were down, now you’re going to lift the pelvis and roll your upper back from the lower ribs all the way up to the top of the shoulder blades.
Now, if it feels good to you, it is safe to go right up to the base of your neck. Once you’ve gone straight down the middle a few times, turn the body off centered and roll one side of your rib cage and up onto your shoulder blade. Remember to do both sides, and if one side feels like it needs it more, give that side more love. concentrating on your breath the whole time. When you finish this, slide into this wonderful position. Familiar? Like having a pillow under your head. Press your hands into the roller to anchor your shoulders on the ground. Bring your feet wide and do a nice gentle windshield wiper with your legs. You can also enjoy a gentle neck massage here.
If you do this regularly, you will improve the alignment of your upper back and head and also help reclaim your ability to extend your spine like you did naturally and easily when you were a child.