Emma’s Exercise
“Standing Sidebend”

It’s our first standing posture AND sidebend! This is very challenging but I think you guys are up to it!

Start in your best standing posture. Root down to rise up! Your entire body in neutral-pelvis, ribcage, scaps and head. These are all your basic principles! Remember-your body is like stackable tupperware. Stack one on top the other. Finding this alone takes work! Hug your center line to find your active inner thighs (avoid letting your legs fall out of alignment to make this happen). Then we get to flex our spine sideways!!! We’re going to work some of the coolest muscles-the obliques (aka whiddle your middle). This is all about your obliques! So, work your sides!

Anchor the side you are bending away from.
Avoid letting your pelvis move. Work both sides of your waist-use your core to flex your spine sideways! This is best done with your back against a wall. It will let you know if you are rotating instead of sidebending, which is typical here. So, have that awareness of resisting the temptation to twist your spine here. Your spine can easily go into extension (backbend) as well. Imagine you are between two panes of glass-you can neither go forward or backward. You can only laterally flex!

Have fun practicing! This will feel so good!
Coordinate your breath as well. You can hold the side bend for a few breaths if you would like!