“Our spine is a collection of bones, ligaments, discs, joints, and muscles that all live in the core,” explains physical therapist Diana Zotos-Florio, PT, CSCS, certified yoga teacher and co-founder of the Threes Physiyoga Method (a movement practice that combines yoga combined with PT principles). “Their main job is to protect our vital spinal cord, which is part of our nervous system. But its other role is to absorb and distribute the burden of our everyday life. And they are responsible for directing energy, or load, that moves into our hips, through our core, and into our arms so we can perform full-body movements.”,That’s quite a responsibility for a body part! So what exactly enables a spine to perform this function as an energy absorber and movement coordinator?,A healthy spine consists of three components. The first is an “S” shape (with a curve through the lower and upper back) when viewed from the side. According to Zotos-Florio, this curved shape helps to act as a kind of spring. “When your spine is ‘S’ shaped, it can absorb the stress of every step, jump, run, or whatever you do, compress slightly, and then relax,” she explains.,Next up: full freedom of movement (or mobility). Each vertebra should be able to move. That way, when you’re doing something like twisting or bending, the task is evenly distributed across the spine so no part of it is working too hard, which could leave you vulnerable to injury.,After all, your spine should have some room to breathe! “A healthy spine has some space,” says Zotos-Florio. “If your spine was a slinky and you opened it up, you want that spine to have some degree of openness and not be fully compressed. So the more decompressed your spine is — and the more space there is between bones — the easier it is for each bone to move.”,But repetitively staying in one pose for too long jeopardizes all of these factors—shape, mobility, and space. And unfortunately, sitting for a long time can compress our spine and even impede the movement of some vertebrae. That’s why Zotos-Florio takes care of her spine herself.,Below are the spinal mobility exercises that she does throughout the day when she’s feeling tight and tense, or first thing when she wakes up. Overall, Zotos-Florio recommends planning 10 minutes a day to keep your spine healthy.,This is an exercise Zotos-Florio enjoys doing throughout the day, even while doing something like washing dishes to get in touch with her spine. Stand upright. This means your weight is evenly distributed on your feet, your spine is neutral (i.e. your shoulders, hips and ankles are all in line and you have a natural curve in your lower and upper back) and make sure your chin is aligned not t protrude forward. “It’s like a home base,” says Zotos-Florio about this attitude. “You don’t have to live here, but it’s a great place to practice.”,Next, imagine that a helium balloon is sitting on your head. The cord goes through your skull down to your neck and spine. Without blowing those ribs forward, let the helium balloon lift you up. “Feel like you could be two inches taller,” says Zotos-Florio.,This exercise also lengthens your spine with the help of a side stretch. From a high kneeling position, extend one leg straight out to the side so your foot is flat on the floor and your toes are pointing forward. Now re-imagine the helium balloon pulling you up (without your ribs sticking out). Then raise the arm of your kneeling leg over your head and bend to the side of your straight leg. Hold for three to five rounds of breathing, then repeat on the other side.,To isolate the vertebrae and ensure each vertebra has a full range of motion, practice going in and out of flexion (contraction) and extension (stretching). Stand in front of a surface like a bed or desk, place your hands on them and bend forward from the hips, keeping your knees slightly bent. Alternate between tucking in your tailbone and sticking out your butt without squeezing your glutes. Continue for three to five rounds of breathing.,You can use the same principle of contraction and stretching for your upper back. Begin to kneel on the floor or your bed and place your palms flat on the surface in front of you, slightly in front of your shoulders. Tuck your chin in and arch your upper back toward the ceiling, then reverse this movement to arch your back and lift your gaze to see between your hands. Continue for three to five rounds of breathing.,Bring the movements of the lower back and thoracic spine together for a full back open pose. Standing straight in this home base. Then tuck your chin in and begin bending forward as if trying to touch your toes, starting with your shoulders, then your upper, middle, and lower back all the way down. Pause at the bottom, then tuck your tailbone underneath and reverse this order to straighten your spine until you’re standing upright. Let your head be the last thing to rise.,“It’s like someone’s fingers running down your spine,” says Zotos-Florio. “When they touch each bone, you want to round that bone. So you’re really trying to almost round a beach ball or bowling ball, and each vertebra gets a chance to round on its way down.”,Find a wall to stand sideways next to, then step into a runner’s lunge, right foot forward and back knee down so your right hip and outer thigh are touching the wall. Then stretch your right arm straight out in front of you against the wall. Next, extend your left arm straight in front of you, and then open it out and back behind you so your chest rotates and faces away from the wall with your left arm extended behind you. Your torso will basically be in a T-shape. “Don’t initiate it by opening your arm, but by twisting your left chest back,” advises Zotos-Florio. Hold for three to five breaths, then repeat on the other side.,The neck is the highest part of the spine, so don’t forget it. This exercise stretches it and the shoulders because these muscles are so intertwined. Slowly look left and right, up and down, then roll your shoulders back and forth. Repeat three to five more times.,As Zotos-Florio suggested, make these spinal movements a part of your daily routine and try to do them for 10 minutes each day, either when you wake up or as a nice break from work. And if you want to improve your spinal mobility even further, try Pilates.,You can start with this 15-minute full-body workout that will help you increase your mobility from head to toe:,YOur spine is the energy highway that allows you to move from the soles of your feet to the tips of your fingers and the top of your head. It absorbs the weight of the world and helps you move in a coordinated manner. But our spine takes a lot of stress from long periods of sitting and sedentary lifestyles, which is why doing spinal mobility exercises is so important.
“Our spine is a collection of bones, ligaments, discs, joints, and muscles that all live in the core,” explains physical therapist Diana Zotos-Florio, PT, CSCS, certified yoga teacher and co-founder of the Threes Physiyoga Method (a movement practice that combines yoga combined with PT principles). “Their main job is to protect our vital spinal cord, which is part of our nervous system. But its other role is to absorb and distribute the burden of our everyday life. And they are responsible for directing energy, or load, that moves into our hips, through our core, and into our arms so we can perform full-body movements.”
That’s quite a responsibility for a body part! So what exactly enables a spine to perform this function as an energy absorber and movement coordinator?
Anatomy of a healthy spine
A healthy spine consists of three components. The first is an “S” shape (with a curve through the lower and upper back) when viewed from the side. According to Zotos-Florio, this curved shape helps to act as a kind of spring. “When your spine is ‘S’ shaped, it can absorb the stress of every step, jump, run, or whatever you do, compress slightly, and then relax,” she explains.
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Next up: full freedom of movement (or mobility). Each vertebra should be able to move. That way, when you’re doing something like twisting or bending, the task is evenly distributed across the spine so no part of it is working too hard, which could leave you vulnerable to injury.
After all, your spine should have some room to breathe! “A healthy spine has some space,” says Zotos-Florio. “If your spine was a slinky and you opened it up, you want that spine to have some degree of openness and not be fully compressed. So the more decompressed your spine is — and the more space there is between bones — the easier it is for each bone to move.”
But repetitively staying in one pose for too long jeopardizes all of these factors—shape, mobility, and space. And unfortunately, sitting for a long time can compress our spine and even impede the movement of some vertebrae. That’s why Zotos-Florio takes care of her spine herself.
Below are the spinal mobility exercises that she does throughout the day when she’s feeling tight and tense, or first thing when she wakes up. Overall, Zotos-Florio recommends planning 10 minutes a day to keep your spine healthy.
7 spinal mobility exercises to promote a healthy spine
1. Decompression
This is an exercise Zotos-Florio enjoys doing throughout the day, even while doing something like washing dishes to get in touch with her spine. Stand upright. This means your weight is evenly distributed on your feet, your spine is neutral (i.e. your shoulders, hips and ankles are all in line and you have a natural curve in your lower and upper back) and make sure your chin is aligned not t protrude forward. “It’s like a home base,” says Zotos-Florio about this attitude. “You don’t have to live here, but it’s a great place to practice.”
Next, imagine that a helium balloon is sitting on your head. The cord goes through your skull down to your neck and spine. Without blowing those ribs forward, let the helium balloon lift you up. “Feel like you could be two inches taller,” says Zotos-Florio.
2. Gate pose to create even more space
This exercise also lengthens your spine with the help of a side stretch. From a high kneeling position, extend one leg straight out to the side so your foot is flat on the floor and your toes are pointing forward. Now re-imagine the helium balloon pulling you up (without your ribs sticking out). Then raise the arm of your kneeling leg over your head and bend to the side of your straight leg. Hold for three to five rounds of breathing, then repeat on the other side.
3. Pelvic tilts to practice flexion and extension
To isolate the vertebrae and ensure each vertebra has a full range of motion, practice going in and out of flexion (contraction) and extension (stretching). Stand in front of a surface like a bed or desk, place your hands on them and bend forward from the hips, keeping your knees slightly bent. Alternate between tucking in your tailbone and sticking out your butt without squeezing your glutes. Continue for three to five rounds of breathing.
4. Flexion and extension of the thoracic spine
You can use the same principle of contraction and stretching for your upper back. Begin to kneel on the floor or your bed and place your palms flat on the surface in front of you, slightly in front of your shoulders. Tuck your chin in and arch your upper back toward the ceiling, then reverse this movement to arch your back and lift your gaze to see between your hands. Continue for three to five rounds of breathing.
5. Roll up and down
Bring the movements of the lower back and thoracic spine together for a full back open pose. Standing straight in this home base. Then tuck your chin in and begin bending forward as if trying to touch your toes, starting with your shoulders, then your upper, middle, and lower back all the way down. Pause at the bottom, then tuck your tailbone underneath and reverse this order to straighten your spine until you’re standing upright. Let your head be the last thing to rise.
“It’s like someone’s fingers running down your spine,” says Zotos-Florio. “When they touch each bone, you want to round that bone. So you’re really trying to almost round a beach ball or bowling ball, and each vertebra gets a chance to round on its way down.”
6. Axial rotation
Find a wall to stand sideways next to, then step into a runner’s lunge, right foot forward and back knee down so your right hip and outer thigh are touching the wall. Then stretch your right arm straight out in front of you against the wall. Next, extend your left arm straight in front of you, and then open it out and back behind you so your chest rotates and faces away from the wall with your left arm extended behind you. Your torso will basically be in a T-shape. “Don’t initiate it by opening your arm, but by twisting your left chest back,” advises Zotos-Florio. Hold for three to five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
7. Protect your neck
The neck is the highest part of the spine, so don’t forget it. This exercise stretches it and the shoulders because these muscles are so intertwined. Slowly look left and right, up and down, then roll your shoulders back and forth. Repeat three to five more times.
As Zotos-Florio suggested, make these spinal movements a part of your daily routine and try to do them for 10 minutes each day, either when you wake up or as a nice break from work. And if you want to improve your spinal mobility even further, try Pilates.
You can start with this 15-minute full-body workout that will help you increase your mobility from head to toe:
,You can use the same principle of contraction and stretching for your upper back. Begin to kneel on the floor or your bed and place your palms flat on the surface in front of you, slightly in front of your shoulders. Tuck your chin in and arch your upper back toward the ceiling, then reverse this movement to arch your back and lift your gaze to see between your hands. Continue for three to five rounds of breathing.,Find a wall to stand sideways next to, then step into a runner’s lunge, right foot forward and back knee down so your right hip and outer thigh are touching the wall. Then stretch your right arm straight out in front of you against the wall. Next, extend your left arm straight in front of you, and then open it out and back behind you so your chest rotates and faces away from the wall with your left arm extended behind you. Your torso will basically be in a T-shape. “Don’t initiate it by opening your arm, but by twisting your left chest back,” advises Zotos-Florio. Hold for three to five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
