Standing Side Bend

Learning to Side Bend Your Spine

When side bending the spine one side will lengthen and the other will shorten. Bending your lumbar spine and thoracic spine to the right the right side of your waist and ribcage will shorten, the left side will lengthen or "open".

When first trying a spinal side bend focus on the open side. Try lifting the ribs away from the pelvis on the long side. Try to create space between the ribs on that side.

Next, focus on the short side. Focus on contracting the ribs towards the pelvis on the short side. Try to draw the ribs towards each other also.

Repeat both actions in isolation until you are comfortable with them.

Work at doing both actions slowly and smoothly.

You could also focus just on one action, activating it and relaxing it. In this case you can do the action while inhaling, then relax the action while exhaling.

Side Bending Spine and Hips While Standing

To combine the above actions, first push the hips to the left and then bend your spine to the right.

You can accentuate the side bend of the hips by using the outer thigh on the short side and the inner thigh on the long side.

For example, bending to the right try activating the outer thigh and hip of the right leg and the inner thigh of the left leg.

Know What You Are Trying to Do

As mentioned, while doing standing side bend, you can reach the arms up and over the head in the direction you are bending towards. If you have difficulty with this you can start with the hands wider than shoulder width. Work towards getting them shoulder width apart, and eventually work at touching your hands over your head.

Another option in standing side bend is to grab a wrist.

You can grab the top wrist and focus on straightening (and lengthening) the top arm. Or you can grab the bottom wrist.

In this case use the bottom arm to stretch the shoulder of the upper arm by straightening the elbow and pulling the bottom arm downwards.

Other options include doing standing side bend with your feet together. Balance can be trickier in this position. Stay aware of both feet so that you can keep your weight pressing evenly through both of them.

Exiting Standing Side Bend and Exercising Your Obliques

So that you exercise the muscles that you have just been stretching in this yoga pose, come up slowly and with control and while keeping your arms reaching up over your head.

The slower you do it the less likely you are to injure yourself and the more you exercise your abs.

If you are too tired to do this or you haven't yet got the strength to come up in this way, lower your arms first and then come up. You can also bend your knees to come up if your need to.