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Lower back, upper back, hips and knees

Supine Twist: Straight Bottom Leg

The same gentle spinal rotation as the classic twist, with your bottom leg extended for a longer line through the hip, releasing tension through your back and hips.

Spinal Mobility60 to 180 seconds
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How to do it

  1. 1

    Lie on your back and extend one leg long

    The leg you leave straight is the one that will end up underneath. Keep it heavy on the mat with the heel reaching away.

  2. 2

    Bend the other knee and cross it over

    Take the bent knee across your body toward the floor on the far side. The straight leg beneath gives a longer line through that hip than a twist with both knees bent.

  3. 3

    Keep the underneath leg reaching away

    It will want to be dragged along by the twist or creep up toward your chest. Keep it long and heavy so the length through that hip is preserved.

  4. 4

    Keep both shoulders on the mat

    Arms wide, opposite shoulder down. A cushion under the crossed knee reduces the depth, and you can bend the bottom knee if the long leg is a lot today.

  5. 5

    Stay 1 to 3 minutes, then swap sides

    Come back through the middle slowly and set up the mirror image.

What to watch for

The extended leg drifting up toward your chest or its hip rolling with the twist, which loses the long line this version exists for. Keep reaching that heel away, and stop if anything starts spreading down either leg.

Ways to adjust it

  • Small range
  • Pillow between knees
  • Bolster
  • Bend bottom knee

If this one is too much today

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

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.

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.