Move · Videos · Mobility · 14 min

Pilates Posture Flow for Neck, Upper Back and Shoulders

Pilates Posture Flow for Neck, Upper Back and Shoulders — video by Annie Pilates Physical Therapist Play · 13:30

Video by Annie Pilates Physical Therapist on YouTube · Open on YouTube

A physical therapist leads a mat flow for a forward head and rounded shoulders: breath and core set, arm openers, scapular squeeze, cat-camel, thoracic twists and bird dog progressions, then child's pose, sphinx or upward dog and a neck stretch.

  • 14 min
  • All levels
  • Low impact (no jumping)
  • mat

Good forBetter posture

Open in VideosLog it in Train

Step by step 10

Tap a time to watch that step in the video.

  1. Sit cross-legged or with knees bent; breathe and draw the belly button in to lengthen the spine. 0:31
  2. Arm openers: arms out, thumbs up, pulse back to open the chest, then small backward circles. 1:41
  3. Elbows in, fingers spread, looking up; mild tingling in the hands can be normal, but stop if pain builds. 2:39
  4. Scapular squeeze: hands overhead, then pull down, squeezing the elbows back. 3:18
  5. Wrist and shoulder stretch: interlace the fingers, turn the palms out overhead, then lean side to side. 3:47
  6. Cat and camel on all fours: round with the belly button in, then arch and look up. 5:00
  7. Thoracic twists: hand behind the head, rotate the elbow up to the ceiling, then down; both sides. 5:37
  8. Bird dog with twist: hand behind the head, opposite leg straight back, twist in and out; each side. 7:14
  9. Bird dog: opposite arm and leg out level with the hips, then reach back for the foot, or just bend the elbow. 8:38
  10. Cool-down: child's pose, sphinx or upward dog, an optional bow pose, then side neck stretches. 11:09

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Pull the belly button in to engage the core and lengthen the spine as you breathe
  • Squeeze the elbows back to squeeze the shoulder blades together
  • If the bird dog reach is too hard, just bend the elbow gently

What it works

Tap an area for more videos that work it.

Joints it uses light on the joints

  • Neck movesneck stretch, head tilts, looking up
  • Shoulders movesarm openers, overhead stretch, bird dog
  • Wrists & hands movescat-camel and bird dog on the hands
  • Upper back movesthoracic twists, cat-camel, scapular squeeze
  • Lower back movescat-camel, bird dog, sphinx or upward dog
  • Hips movesbird dog leg lifts, child's pose
  • Knees movesall fours and child's pose
  • Kneeling. Pressure on the kneecaps — a folded towel or cushion under the knees helps.
  • Weight on your hands. The wrists bend back under load. Fists, push-up handles or your forearms ease it.
  • Down on the floor. You get down to the floor and back up again.

Easier option from the coach: Bend the elbow instead of reaching in bird dog; sphinx instead of upward dog

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

More like this

Browse all 764 videos

Video by Annie Pilates Physical Therapist; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety