➤ Flexion & Extension

1. Kneeling or Seated Cat-Cow
   Sit back onto your heels with your hands on the floor in front of you—this helps “lock out” your lower back so the movement comes from your mid and upper spine.

Inhale and press your chest forward, drawing your shoulder blades together and lifting your chin slightly.
Exhale to round your upper back, pulling your shoulder blades apart, concaving your chest, and tucking your chin.

✨ Focus on keeping the movement isolated to your thoracic spine—not your low back—and use your breath to guide the rhythm.

2. Weight-Shifted Cat-Cow
   Start in a hands-and-knees position with either one knee or one hand on an elevated surface (like yoga blocks, books, or a firm cushion).

Shift your weight toward that elevated side, bringing more load and focus into that hip and shoulder.
From here, gently move through a cat-cow, rounding and arching your spine slowly.

Explore where things feel sticky or limited,

3. Thoracic Press Down
Kneel a few feet behind a chair, workout bench, couch—anything sturdy. Place your palms on the surface and sit your hips back toward your heels, pressing your chest and armpits down toward the floor while keeping your spine long and straight.

Want more intensity? Place your elbows on the surface instead, bring your palms together in a prayer position, and gently bend your elbows to lower your thumbs toward the base of your neck.

➤ Rotation

4. Side-Lying Thoracic Rotation (Open-Close the Book)
   Lie on your side with your head supported (use a pillow or block if needed). Keep your top knee bent and resting on the floor in front of you, and your bottom leg straight. Extend your top arm forward, in line with your chest.

Inhale to prepare.
Exhale as you slowly arc your top arm open, like you’re opening a book, allowing your chest and upper back to rotate. Move from your mid-spine, not just your arm. Pause at your end range, inhale, then exhale to return to the starting position.

Optional Add-On:
Sweep your top arm in a wide circle all the way around your body. Try both directions to explore your range of motion.

5. Thread the Needle
Start in a quadruped position (on all fours). Bring your big toes together and take your knees slightly wider than your hips for a stable base.

Take one arm and thread it under your body, palm facing up, letting your shoulder and ear gently lower toward the ground. Press into your opposite hand to deepen the stretch and feel a gentle twist through your upper back.

Inhale here.  On your exhale, unwind and place the same arm behind your head, elbow bent. Then rotate your chest open, reaching the elbow toward the ceiling. Keep your hips steady and movement focused through your upper back.

6. Seated Rotation with Reach
   Sit tall on the floor or a bench with your legs crossed or extended in front of you.
   Reach one hand across to the opposite knee or thigh, and gently pull yourself into a twist.
   Reach your other hand behind you, using it for light support—not to crank the twist.

Inhale into your ribcage to expand through the sides and back.
Exhale slowly and switch sides with control.

Focus on movement through your mid and upper back—not your low back or hips. Keep your spine tall throughout.

➤ Lateral Flexion (Side Bending)

7. Child’s Pose Clocks (Palm-Up Reach)
Start in child’s pose with your hips back and arms extended. Gently walk your hands over to one side—imagine reaching for 10:00 or 2:00 on a clock.

Flip your lagging arm palm up to deepen the stretch through your lats, ribs, and side body.
Inhale into your ribs, exhale to soften and reach farther.

✨ Switch sides after a few breaths. This one’s great for opening up tight mid-back muscles and improving breath expansion.

8. 90/90 Position with Overhead Reach
   Sit in a 90/90 position with your front and back knees bent. Grab your back knee and side bend toward that leg, reaching your opposite arm up and over—imagine you’re squeezing a lemon between your bottom rib and hip.

Then place your free hand behind you on the floor, press through both legs to lift your hips, and reach your opposite arm up and open through your chest.

Breathe into the stretch before lowering back down with control and repeating.

9. Apley Scratch Test for Shoulder Mobility
Sit tall and reach one arm overhead, placing your palm on your upper back or as low as you comfortably can. At the same time, bring the back of your opposite hand behind your lower back, fingers pointing up. Try to get your hands as close together as possible without forcing it.

Exhale and release both arms, then sweep them in a wide circle to switch sides.

Pro Tip: Keep your ribs stacked over your pelvis—avoid flaring your chest forward so you can isolate true shoulder mobility (not just compensating with your spine).

10. Supinated 90° External Rotations
    Sit tall with your ribs stacked over your pelvis. Bend your elbows to 90° and keep them gently tucked by your sides, palms facing up (supinated).

Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you slowly rotate your forearms outward, like you’re sweeping your thumbs in an arc away from each other. Keep your elbows close to your body and let your shoulder blades glide smoothly along your ribcage.

Pause at your end range, then return to center with control.

11. Row to Goal Posts (Shoulder External Rotation)
Start seated or standing tall, arms extended in front of you. Inhale to prep, then exhale as you row—bending your elbows and pulling them back so your upper arms are in line with your shoulders and your forearms are parallel to the ground (elbows bent at 90°).

From there, rotate your shoulders to lift your forearms into a “goal post” position, keeping elbows bent and upper arms stable.  Arms should remain at 90°.

Reverse the motion with control to return to your starting position.

12. Serratus Press Progressions (3 Options)
    These progressions target your serratus anterior, a key muscle for shoulder stability and core control—especially important when carrying babies, pushing strollers, or holding feeding positions.

Start with:
🔹 Serratus Press: Lying on your back with arms straight and dumbbells in hand (or just fists if unweighted), reach your arms toward the ceiling by lifting your shoulder blades off the floor. Keep your arms straight—this is a protraction, not a chest press.

Progress to:
🔹 Weighted Serratus Press: Add light weights. Press your arms upward, lifting your shoulder blades off the floor. Lower with control.

Advance to:
🔹 Serratus Press with Rotation: Start with both arms in the air and a weight in just one hand. If your right hand is holding the weight, bring your right knee up to tabletop (90°).

Roll gently onto your left side, reaching the weight toward the ceiling as your free arm opens to the side. Let your shoulder blade glide as you lower the working shoulder slightly, then roll back to flat.

This adds rotation and core engagement to your serratus press for a more integrated, functional challenge.

13.  Cervical Lateral Flexion (Side Bending)
    Sit tall, shoulders relaxed. Gently drop one ear toward the same-side shoulder and breathe into the stretch.

Optional add-on 1:

– If your left ear is down, take your right hand and gently pull your right collarbone down to increase the stretch.

Optional add-on 2:

– Extend your right arm straight out to the side with fingers spread wide. Rotate the arm from the shoulder to move through your full range of motion—internally and externally rotating slowly.

This helps release tension and improve nerve glide through the neck and shoulder.

14. Quadruped Chin Tucks
    From a hands-and-knees position, gently tuck your chin toward your throat—like you’re creating a double chin.

Imagine a magnet on the back of your head being pulled straight up toward the ceiling. Keep your chin level (don’t tilt or lift your head), and focus on lengthening through the back of your neck.

This exercise helps improve cervical alignment and release tension built up from looking down during nursing, holding, or screen time.

15. Cervical Arm Bar
    Lie on your back with a small towel roll under your neck so your chin stays neutral and facing the ceiling.

Hold a light weight in one hand, arm extended toward the ceiling, knuckles facing behind you.

Inhale and gently rotate your head side to side, turning your knuckles to follow the direction you’re looking.

Exhale to return both your gaze and knuckles to center.

This move gently mobilizes your neck while activating your shoulder stabilizers and deep core.