This is the starting point for most of the exercises carried out on your front.
The next group of exercises involves working face down in the "prone" position. In this position you become more aware of the air in your lungs expanding the back of the ribcage. You can also focus on the placement of your shoulder blades and accustom yourself to the way they feel when they are correctly positioned down your back. This is the best position in which to practice back extension exercises. These strengthen the erector spine muscle that extends down the spine and those that link the backs of the vertebrae.
Body awareness
Before you start exercising in the prone position spend a few moments lying on your front and adjusting your alignment in this position. Here is a checklist of points to look out for:
• Your feet should be parallel with each other, in line with your hips.
• Your pelvis should be level.
• Your buttocks and abdomen should be relaxed.
• The bones of your pelvis should sink into the floor.
• Your ribs should be relaxed downward into the floor.
• Your shoulder blades must be relaxed down your back.
• Your arms should be relaxed, either at your sides or bent so that your hands are by your head.
• Your neck should be lengthened and in line with your spine.
• Your forehead can rest on your hands or on a thin cushion.
Breathing awareness
When you are aligned lying on your front, practice your breathing.
• Breathe in, expanding the back of your ribcage.
• Breathe out, drawing your ribs and shoulder blades down toward your waist, engaging your lower abdominal muscles and maintaining the stability of your lower back.
If you find it hard to know if your abdominal muscles are engaged in this position, place your hand under your stomach, inside the hip bone, and you should be able to feel your muscles engage and relax.
Back extension
The range of movement of the spine is much less flexible when bending backward (during extension) than bending forward (during flexion). Do not expect to move very far when you are performing this exercise. The important point to remember is to keep your lower abdomen engaged and stable on the floor, while achieving a sense of lengthening in the neck and upper back. Do not push on your arms. It may take a few tries to get this exercise right, but you will know you have done so when you feel a stretch from your neck to your middle back.
1 Lie on your front on the floor with your feet parallel, hip-width apart. Place your bent arms at your sides with your hands palms down. Rest your forehead on a thin layer of padding such as a folded towel.
2 Breathe in. On the out-breath feel your shoulder blades slide down your back. When you feel a stretch up the back of the neck, lengthen the neck further from the body by lifting the head a little. Keep your gaze turned downward. Return to your starting position on the in-breath. Repeat the whole process six times.
Lengthening the Legs from a StableCenter
Buttock muscles
The muscles illustrated above are responsible for working the hip joint and are involved in postural alignment.
The prone leg stretch that follows develops stability and strength in the pelvic area and helps to lengthen the spine and legs. It also builds on your ability to work the hips and legs independently of the torso. This is perhaps the most subtle and therefore most difficult aspect of the movement. You will need to engage your full powers of concentration and body awareness to be sure that you are working as intended.
The gluteals
One of the key muscle groups you will be learning to identify and isolate here are the gluteals. These are the buttock muscles, of which the gluteus maxim is the most important. This is the large muscle that extends from the sacrum and coccyx to the upper part of the femur (thigh bone). The gluteals control sideway and backward movement of the thigh. They are also important for maintaining the position of the pelvis and therefore play a vital part in your posture and alignment.
Although this is a powerful muscle group, the gluteals are also notoriously "lazy." It requires considerable effort and concentration to make them work effectively. This can be achieved only by isolating the muscles from others that normally help initiate the movements in question, including back and abdomen muscles. When you stabilize the pelvis, the gluteals have no choice but to work.
Hip mobility
Leg movement originates in the hip joint. Freedom of movement relies as much on the mobility of the joint as on engagement of the muscles around it. One of the benefits of the prone leg stretch is that it helps mobilize the hip joint by stretching the muscles and ligaments that surround it.
Preparation
Before you start the exercise, spend some time adjusting your alignment in the prone position. In particular, pay attention to the position of your shoulder blades; make sure that they are relaxed down your back away from your ears.
Prone leg stretch
This exercise may look simple, but it requires careful coordination of stability at the center and freedom of movement of the hips and legs. Practice the breathing in this position, ensuring that when you engage the centering muscles you are keeping your pelvis in neutral and are not lifting the hips off the floor or tightening the lower back. Try to feel your stomach hollowing in this position.
1 Adopt the prone resting position. Widen your legs a little and stretch out your arms above your head, keeping your elbows bent. Take a few breaths into your ribs and engage your centering muscles to lift your abdomen toward your spine on each out-breath.
2 Breathe in. On the out-breath, hollow your abdomen and engage your pelvic floor. Simultaneously, lengthen and raise your left leg about 2-3 inches [5-7.5 centimeters) from the floor. As you are doing this, visualize that the movement is originating from the middle of the buttock.
3 Lower the leg, still under the control of your gluteals, as you breathe in. Repeat the exercise, lengthening and stretching the right leg. Then, go on to complete four stretches on each side.
Prone inner thigh squeeze
In this exercise it is important to lengthen from the waist, up through the spine and down toward the pelvis. At the same time keep your shoulder blades relaxed down your spine. Use a pillow to support your abdomen if you feel your lower back hollowing during the exercise. Maintain engagement of all your centering muscles, but aim to focus the main effort in the inner thigh area. Do not let muscle tension spread to your lower legs or feet.
1 Lie on the floor in the prone position with your forehead resting on your hands. Relax your shoulders downward. Bring your legs together and place a pillow or rolled towel between your upper thighs.
2 Breathe in. On the out-breath engage your centering muscles and hollow your abdomen to support your lower back. At the same time squeeze the pillow with your inner thigh muscles and then engage your buttock muscles. Keep your feet relaxed and resting on the floor. Relax back to the normal position as you breathe in again. Repeat the whole process ten times.
