Swan

Equipment:

Mat

Prop:

None

Difficulty (1-5):

1

Repetitions:

5-8

Main Body Position:

Prone

Spine Position:

Extension

Part of Series?

No

Start Position 🏁

  • Lie on front
  • Legs and feet together
  • Point feet
  • Hands on mat, under armpits, fingers pointing forward
  • Elbows tucked into torso, pointing back
  • Tip of nose touching mat or hovering slightly above

Cues 💡

  • Push hands down into mat and also pull back on the “skin” of the mat
  • Slide nose forward, imagining nose is pushing a marble along the mat
  • Lift head, neck, shoulders and rib cage off mat
  • Push sternum forward
  • Watch neck doesn’t overextend. Imagine keeping a softball between chin and sternum.
  • Focus on extending upper (thoracic) spine rather than lower (lumbar) spine

Breathing 🫁

  • Inhale (nose) to lift up
  • Exhale (mouth) to lower down

Modifications 🔧

  • Lift only a pair or two of ribs off mat rather than whole rib cage