Stretch

Thread the Needle

From all fours, slide one arm under your body and rotate - a gentle unwinding for the upper back and the muscles between the shoulder blades. Desk shoulders live rounded forward; this restores the rotation they've been missing.

BeginnerNo equipment~3 min

Demonstration

Hold

30s

Per side

×1

Best for

MorningPost-desk

How to do it

  1. 1

    Start on all fours with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.

  2. 2

    Reach your right arm up toward the ceiling, opening your chest to the right.

  3. 3

    Sweep the right arm down and thread it under your left arm, palm up.

  4. 4

    Lower your right shoulder and ear toward the floor, hips staying high over the knees.

  5. 5

    Breathe into the back of your ribs, hold, then unwind and switch sides.

Common mistakes

  • Collapsing all the weight onto the neck instead of the shoulder
  • Letting the hips drift back toward the heels
  • Rushing through instead of breathing into the twist