Lower Back Exercises: Single Swan Lifts

Video Transcript

"We're going to show you a swan pose using just the lower body. Swan incorporates and integrates lower and upper body together, but first make sure you've got your cobra or your swan lift for your upper body and thoracic, so you build up strength in your low back and we're going to add in leg lifts. So you can put your hands on, or your forehead on the palm of your hands, or if you have a yoga block under here for support because you want to maintain nice, neutral cervical posture. No wrinkles in the back of the neck. We're just going to practice by lifting your right leg in the air with a nice, soft toe. Don't flex or point, just leave that soft because you're going to think of activating in the glutes, in the hamstrings which attach into the low back, and release. You might not want to hold it quite that long the first time, but just to show you how you're extended and not arched, you're thinking of elongationing. Strengthening in an elongated state is what really keeps the muscles from becoming injured. It also gives you good kinetic awareness. So once you get the single lifts and lowers for swan, do it about 10 times, give yourself a chance to stretch, and then you can lift and lower, and controlling all that momentum with nice, good control, and lifting and lowering both legs at a time. What you're doing is building strength into the low back and glutes and hamstrings. Just think of nothing else moving but those muscles that you're working. "