Lying spinal rotation

The lying spinal rotation is a good stretch to do when you want to stretch several muscles at once. In this stretch, you feel your back, oblique, neck, and chest muscles all stretch at the same time.
This stretch may be a bit uncomfortable at first, so always begin the stretch in your comfort zone for the first 10 to 15 seconds of the stretch, and then gradually increase the resistance of the stretch for the remainder. Never stretch beyond your pain threshold. Beginning slowly gives your muscles a chance to release and loosen up before you try to deepen the stretch. If at any time during this stretch you feel stress and tightness in your back instead of relaxation and lengthening, try keeping both knees bent or placing a block or folded towel under your knee.
This stretch involves the following steps:

1. Lie on your back with both legs extended and both arms extended out from your sides.
2. Inhale and raise your left knee to your chest; slowly cross your knee over your body to the right.
3. Turn your head to the left or opposite direction as you relax into the stretch. Make sure to keep both arms and shoulder blades on the floor during this stretch.
4. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds; release the stretch, and repeat on the other side. This stretch can also stretch your neck, so to do this, look toward your extended arm as you hold the stretch.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do breathe regularly as you hold the stretch.
• Do progress through the stretch gradually.
• Don’t arch your back.
• Don’t force your knee to the floor; it’s better to keep your shoulder blades on the floor than to get your knee to touch the floor.