Lower back, upper back, hips and knees

Supine Twist: Small Range

A small range of rotation gently mobilises your spine with minimal load, making rotational mobility accessible for sensitive backs while still reducing stiffness.

How to do it

1. 1

   Lie on your back with knees bent, feet down

   Arms resting out to the sides, shoulders wide and heavy on the mat.

2. 2

   Tilt the knees a short way and stop early

   Take them to one side well before the end of your range. This version is defined by where you choose to stop, not by how far you could go.

3. 3

   Keep the far hip heavy on the mat

   Both sides of the pelvis and both shoulders stay in contact. If the far hip begins to lift, you have already gone past the range this version is for.

4. 4

   Let the breath do the rest

   Nothing needs to increase from here. A pillow between the knees keeps the legs tidy while you settle.

5. 5

   Stay 1 to 3 minutes at the same depth

   Check the position halfway through, then come back to the middle and swap.

What to watch for

Drifting further over as the minutes pass. Long holds tempt the knees lower, and the point of this one is that the range stays small from the first breath to the last.

Ways to adjust it

• Pillow between knees

If this one is too much today

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

• Supine Twist: 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 Supine Twist versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Supine Twist: Classic
• Supine Twist: Seated Chair
• Supine Twist: Straight Bottom Leg
• Supine Twist: Supported

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.