Corkscrew 2

Equipment:

Mat

Prop:

None

Difficulty (1-5):

4

Repetitions:

3-5 (sets)

Main Body Position:

Inverted

Spine Position:

Flexion, Twisting

Part of Series?

No

Start Position 🏁

  • Lie on back
  • Legs straight, perpendicular to floor
  • Point feet
  • Lightly press legs and feet into one another
  • Arms beside torso, palms down

Cues 💡

  • Firmly press hands and arms into mat
  • Lift hips off mat and come into an inversion, legs over face
  • The higher the feet are, the more difficult the exercise
  • Twist spine in one direction
  • Lower spine and hips back down to mat, in a controlled fashion
  • Once leading hip touches mat, lower legs as far as possible without arching lower back
  • Draw a forward semicircle with toes, over to the other side
  • Lift that side’s hip off mat and come into an inversion, legs over face
  • Go back and forth between the two sides
  • Reach toes as far away as possible from opposite shoulder while keeping opposite shoulder blade firmly on mat
  • Spine untwisting from top to bottom is what brings the legs back to starting position
  • Don’t use momentum when coming into inversion. To do this, stop movement for one second when legs are perpendicular to torso and then recommence.
  • Keep legs perpendicular to torso whenever hips are off mat
  • Flex spine as much as possible whenever hips are off mat
  • Each vertebra touches mat while lifting hips off mat and while lowering them back down. Aim to not skip sections of spine.
  • Constantly reach crown of head away from body, keeping back of neck lengthened
  • At peak of inversion, balance point is on thoracic spine rather than cervical spine. Neck should not be in any discomfort.
  • Keep weight balanced evenly between shoulder blades
  • Watch tendency for shoulders to lift up. Keep them very heavy on the mat.
  • Watch tendency for legs and feet to slide back and forth on one another. Imagine they are crazy glued together for duration of exercise.
  • Watch tendency for wrists to lift up (aka “tent”). Push wrists down into mat while keeping shoulders very heavy. Try not going as far into the inversion.

Breathing 🫁

  • Inhale (nose) for first half of semicircle, as hips are lowering down onto mat
  • Exhale (mouth) for second half of semicircle, as hips are lift up off of mat

Modifications 🔧

  • Corkscrew 1
  • Tick Tock
  • Bend knees
  • Put something under hips (yoga bolster, yoga block, firm pillow, etc)
  • Only lift hips a few inches off mat
  • Make twisting and semicircle smaller