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Also known as: Parsva Balasana, Reach back, Quadruped thoracic rotation.

Technique

  1. Start on all fours, reach the right arm up and back, then thread it under the chest toward the left side, resting on the back of the right shoulder and arm with the palm facing up and the side of the head resting on the floor.
  2. Lift out of this position reaching the hand back and up where you started.
  3. Repeat this movement a few times, then switch sides.

Form tips

  • Keep the weight evenly distributed across both legs, twisting in the upper back.
Logging: Work each side for the time indicated.

Muscles

Strength

Secondary

  • Obliques
  • Spine
  • Chest
  • Shoulders
  • Neck
  • Biceps
Flexibility

Primary

  • Rotator cuff
  • Shoulders
  • Obliques
  • Spine

Secondary

  • Back
  • Neck
  • External oblique
  • Internal oblique
  • Longissimus thoracis
  • Iliocostalis
  • Pectoralis major (clavicular head)
  • Pectoralis major (sternal head)
  • Anterior deltoid

Equipment

Appears in

Other disciplines
Joint movements
trains stretches

Progressions

e0cb

Thread the needle plank

Novice
w01g

Lunge tap and open

Intermediate

Variations

e0uk

Thread the needle pose

Beginner
e167

Banded half-kneeling thoracic rotation

Beginner
e006

Russian twist

Beginner
e0vn

Half cross-leg spinal twist

Beginner
e10b

Lying trunk twist

Beginner
e06u

Lying rear delt stretch

Beginner
Want to log this exercise? Open it in Calistree. Text and images are used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; the video plays from the original source.