Prone elbow lifts on a block

Postureeasyrepsyoga block

Lying face down with the forehead resting on a yoga block, hands clasped behind the head: the elbows open out wide and lift a little off the floor as the shoulder blades squeeze together, then come back in toward the ears. The hips and legs stay on the floor and the low back does not arch.

How to do it

1. Lie face down, legs straight and relaxed, with a yoga block standing on its long side under the forehead so the neck stays long and straight.
2. Clasp the hands lightly behind the head, fingertips touching, elbows pointing forward close to the ears.
3. Draw the shoulder blades back and down, then open the elbows out to the sides and lift them a few centimetres, squeezing the shoulder blades together; the forehead stays on the block.
4. Keep the hips pressed into the floor and the low back flat: the work is in the upper back, not the lower back. Do not shrug.
5. Bring the elbows back in toward the ears. 10-12 slow reps.

Muscles worked

Supporting: traps, lats, shoulders, lower back