Sitting all day leaving your back stiff and sore? When it comes to easing tension and stress, movement really is magic, and the good news is, you don’t need a full workout to feel the benefits. According to a Pilates expert, this simple move is one of the most effective ways to release spinal tension and improve posture. Even better? It takes just two minutes.
“The Pilates roll down is a really good exercise for spinal flexion and mobility, and it also uses the abdominals to control the movement, articulating the spine forward,” says Abby McLachlan, Pilates Instructor & Founder of East of Eden. “It can help with back and neck tension and it’s a great exercise for posture and alignment.”
Even your calves and hamstrings will receive a nice little stretch – which is ideal when you’ve been sat down all day – and as you roll up you’ll be engaging your deep core muscles. “You can see a lot about how someone moves if you ask them to perform a roll down,” Abby says.
How to do the Pilates roll down
(Image credit: Getty Images)
You won’t need any equipment for this exercise and it can literally be performed anywhere – in the kitchen, at work, even in the bathroom, if needs be.
“A Pilates rolldown requires you to stand with your feet hip distance apart, then starting with the head, slowly articulate your spine forward and over, allowing the arms to hang loose, until you are full in flexion, bending the knees as much as you need to allow the fingers to touch the floor,” says Abby.
Here’s how you do it:
- Stand with your feet hip width apart, pointing forward and make sure you have even pressure across your feet
- Have a soft bend in your knees, make sure your ribs are knitted in and down and shoulders back and down
- Inhale, then as you exhale, tuck your chin in (almost like you are giving yourself a double chin) then begin to peel down the spine, one vertebrae at a time, until your head is parallel to the ground and your arms are hanging loose in front of you
- Hold here for a few seconds, focusing on your breath
- Take a breath in, then slowly reverse the movement until you are standing up nice and tall
“It’s a great exercise to start your day with, and it doesn’t need to be time consuming – three reps is perfect,” says Abby.
