Upper back and neck
Supported Fish
A supported backbend over a bolster that passively opens your chest and thoracic spine, improving posture and breathing capacity while deeply calming your nervous system.
How to do it
- 1
Place a bolster or block behind you
Sit in front of it with your knees bent, so you can lower yourself back over it under control.
- 2
Lie back so the prop sits under your upper back
It belongs across the middle of your back, behind the chest, not under your lower back. The chest opens over it without you doing anything.
- 3
Let your arms fall open to the sides
Palms up, shoulders heavy. Nothing here is pushed into.
- 4
Choose a height you can rest at
A lower block or a rolled blanket reduces the pressure, and a folded blanket under your head stops it dropping so far back.
- 5
Stay for two to four minutes
Roll off to one side to come out rather than sitting straight up.
What to watch for
Prop height. The higher the support, the harder it presses into your back and the further your head tips back, so if you are bracing anywhere instead of resting, lower it or swap to a rolled blanket.
Ways to adjust it
- Block or bolster under thoracic spine
- Reduce height
- Blanket under head to reduce extension
- Pillow support
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.
Also part of sessions for
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 sessionFrom the clinically authored Vinys movement library.