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

Supine Twist: Seated Chair

The most accessible spinal rotation: a gentle seated twist that improves rotational mobility with virtually no load on your spine, suitable for even highly sensitive backs.

Spinal Mobility30 to 90 seconds
Start your first sessionFree · no credit card · your session is built from it

How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit tall towards the front of the chair

    Feet hip width and firmly on the floor, sitting bones even. Lengthen up through the crown of your head.

  2. 2

    Turn slowly towards one side from your middle back

    Let the turn start behind your chest rather than at your hips. Your knees stay pointing forwards.

  3. 3

    Let your head follow last

    Take the eyes round after the ribs have turned. Keep the gaze forward instead if turning your neck is not comfortable.

  4. 4

    Rest your hands lightly, do not pull yourself round

    One hand can rest on the outside of the opposite thigh and the other on the chair, but they are resting places only. Take a smaller range whenever you want to.

  5. 5

    Hold each side for 30 to 45 seconds

    Unwind slowly to the middle, take a breath facing forward, then turn the other way.

What to watch for

Using the hands on the chair or your thigh to crank yourself further round. The turn should be one you can hold with your own muscles and unwind from smoothly at any moment.

Ways to adjust it

  • Reduce range
  • Small range
  • Gaze forward

Other ways to do this movement

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

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.

Also part of sessions for

Frozen shoulder

Each of those explains what the condition is, what the published guidance recommends, and where this movement fits.

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.