Lower back, hips, knees and shoulders

Gate Pose: Classic

A kneeling side bend that stretches your lateral chain: the muscles along the side of your body, improving lateral flexibility and reducing one-sided tightness.

How to do it

1. 1

   Kneel on one knee with padding underneath

   A folded blanket under the kneeling knee makes the whole position easier to stay in.

2. 2

   Stretch the other leg out to the side

   Foot flat on the floor, the leg roughly in line with the kneeling knee. The hips stay stacked over the kneeling knee.

3. 3

   Reach the opposite arm overhead

   Lengthen up first, before you go anywhere sideways.

4. 4

   Bend directly to the side over the extended leg

   The lower hand slides down that leg. Keep both shoulders in the same plane as the hips so the chest stays open to the front.

5. 5

   Hold for thirty to sixty seconds, then change sides

   A shorter stance, a hand on the hip instead of overhead, or the seated version all reduce the demand.

What to watch for

The chest rolling down toward the extended leg so the side bend quietly becomes a forward lean. Take less depth in exchange for keeping the chest facing forward.

Ways to adjust it

• Block
• Short stance
• Chair
• Blanket under knee
• Arm on hip
• Chair version

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Gate Pose: Seated Chair

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Gate Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Gate Pose: Movement
• Gate Pose: Seated Chair

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.