Purpose

The upper middle and lower muscles of the spine are successively affected.

Instructions

Lie face down with your legs together. Bring your hands, palms down, under your shoulders. Rest your forehead on the floor. Inhale, bring your head up slowly, brushing first your nose then your chin against the floor. Now push up off your hands, use your back muscles to to raise your chest as high up off the floor as you can without lifting the hips up off the floor. Keep the elbows bent slightly. EXHALE completely then breathe several breaths before straightening the elbows and lifting the hips up slightly from the floor. Hold for several breaths. On the EXHALATION, reverse the sequence of movements as you descend back to the floor, unwind the spine one vertebrae at a time. The forehead should be the last thing to touch the floor. May be preformed two or three times.