Lower back and hips

Triangle: Back to Wall

Wall support gives you tactile feedback to prevent over-rotation, helping you maintain proper alignment while stretching your lateral chain.

How to do it

1. 1

   Stand with your back against a wall, feet wide

   Heels a little away from the wall, with the back of the pelvis and both shoulders touching it.

2. 2

   Turn the front foot out while keeping wall contact

   The wall is your reference point from here on, and everything that follows keeps the back of the body in touch with it.

3. 3

   Reach out and lower down along the wall

   Travel down the side rather than turning away from it. A block under the hand keeps the height honest.

4. 4

   Check that both shoulders are still on the wall

   That contact is what tells you the chest is still open rather than rolling forward.

5. 5

   Hold 30 to 60 seconds, then come up

   A shorter stance makes staying in contact much easier.

What to watch for

Losing the wall. The moment a shoulder or the pelvis peels away from it you have started to twist rather than bend sideways, so come up and reset instead of pushing on.

Ways to adjust it

• Block
• Short stance

If this one is too much today

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

• Triangle: 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 Triangle Pose versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Triangle: Chair
• Triangle: Classic

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.