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Lower back, hips, knees, neck, upper back and shoulders

Seated Full-Body Release

A chair-based release sequence for lower back, hips, upper back, and neck: ideal after prolonged sitting or when getting to the floor isn't comfortable.

Restorative240 to 300 seconds
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit back in a chair with both feet flat

    Weight even on both sitting bones, back resting against the chair. Spend the first few breaths simply arriving before anything moves.

  2. 2

    Rock your pelvis a small amount forward and back

    The movement starts underneath you and travels up the spine. Keep it small, a rock rather than a full slump and arch.

  3. 3

    Cross one ankle over the opposite knee and rest there

    Sit tall and let the hip open on its own rather than leaning forward over it. Change sides after a while, or leave this part out if the front of the hip or the knee objects.

  4. 4

    Let your shoulder blades soften back into the chair

    Elbows bent and chest wide, with no effort to hold the position. Reduce how far the arms open, or keep them alongside your body, if the shoulders will not let go.

  5. 5

    Rest both hands lightly on the back of your head

    Let your elbows be heavy so the weight of the arms comes off your shoulders. The hands only rest there and never pull. Skip this part and keep the arms down if reaching up is not comfortable.

  6. 6

    Let the neck go quiet, then simply stay

    Turn the head slowly a short distance each way if that is comfortable, or keep it still and supported. Stay with the whole sequence for four to five minutes, and every part of it should feel like less, not more.

What to watch for

Using your hands to draw the head forward or down. In this sequence the hands are a resting place for the weight of the arms, and the moment they start pulling, the neck is being worked instead of released.

Ways to adjust it

  • Reduce range
  • Smaller pelvic rock
  • Remove seated Figure-4 component
  • Remove head turns
  • Neutral support
  • Reduce cactus-arm range
  • Arms alongside body instead of cactus
  • skip hands-to-head component

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits.

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.

One movement is a start. A session is the thing.

A few questions about your body and how it is today, and Vinys builds a session around it, including which movements to leave out.

Start your first session

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.