Some days it can seem impossible to fit some kind of movement into your schedule. But just a few minutes of stretching can make a huge difference in how you feel. On days when I don’t have much free time or energy for a full-on workout, I like to get my body moving with some light bodyweight exercises. This short stretching routine from Paola Pilates was just what I needed today.
Paola’s fluid movements made these stretches look graceful, and even if I couldn’t quite keep up with her graceful movements, the continuous movement felt good for my muscles and joints, and even put me in a calming, meditative state.
In her Instagram post, Paola calls it a “gentle mobility routine for all levels,” specifically targeting the back and shoulders. She recommends “treating yourself” to this gentle stretching and mobility routine and feeling “amazing.” While I figured she was probably exaggerating, I was pleasantly surprised by how good I felt afterwards.
“These gentle movements will help improve mobility while releasing tension in your back and shoulders,” writes Paola. “Feel free to adjust these positions to feel comfortable for your body,” writes Paola. “You can also use pillows or other supports to help you relax.”
How to do this stretching routine
This sequence of eight movements allows you to move in any direction, bend, and twist as much as feels comfortable. This entire routine took me about 10 minutes to complete.
Paula starts with seated side bends. As I flow into the side bends, it feels good to move my spine sideways, something that many people overlook. I work through the sequence at a gentle pace, enjoying the meditative feeling.
The seated twist felt good in my mid-back. Of course you can make the twist as light or deep as you like. Cat-Cow pose allowed me to move with my breath, flexing and extending to release tight areas in my spine. I was new to the shoulder-down twist and found it to be a great way to release tension in my shoulders and upper back.
In Down Dog As I walked, the soles of my feet felt stretched and the tension in my back was released.
The cactus arm twist opens up the chest and upper back and works the shoulders, while the thoracic twist stretches the mid-back and chest and gives the hamstrings a satisfying stretch. This move seems to work on tight areas in the middle of the spine.
And finally, the open book variation (pulling your top arm back as if you’re shooting a bow and arrow, then sweeping it overhead in a clockwise motion) loosened and opened up my shoulders and felt so good in my mid-to-upper back.
I felt absolutely amazing after completing this routine. My back felt supple and relaxed. My shoulders felt amazing and not stiff. I’ve bookmarked this sequence for days when my back and shoulders need some extra care.
