Lower back and hips

Warrior I: Back to Wall

The wall gives you real-time feedback on your back position, helping you learn proper alignment while building strength: excellent for developing body awareness.

How to do it

1. 1

   Stand with your back against a wall

   Heels close to the skirting, with your upper back and the back of your pelvis lightly touching the wall.

2. 2

   Step one foot forward into a stride

   The back foot stays near the wall and the front foot walks forward. Keep the back body in contact as you go.

3. 3

   Use the wall to read your lower back

   The wall tells you the moment your lower back starts arching away from it. Aim to keep that gap steady rather than letting it open.

4. 4

   Add the arms only while the contact holds

   If reaching up pulls you off the wall, keep the hands on your hips instead.

5. 5

   Hold for 30 to 60 seconds on each side

   A shorter stride makes it much easier to stay in touch with the wall.

What to watch for

Losing the wall the instant you reach the arms overhead. That gap opening behind your lower back is the exact feedback this version exists to give you, so drop the hands back to your hips rather than pushing through it.

Ways to adjust it

• Hands on hips
• 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.

• Warrior I: Hands on Hips

Other ways to do this movement

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

• Warrior I: Chair Supported
• Warrior I: Classic
• Warrior I: Hands on Hips
• Warrior I: Short Stance
• Warrior I: Sitting

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.