That stiff band between your shoulder blades shows up at the end of a long day, or when you twist to reach for something on the back seat. When you fold forward, your mid back may feel like it’s not quite joining in. Your whole spine plays a part in your reach, so helping your mid back move more freely can make the fold feel smoother.

How your mid back joins the fold

Your mid back, the part of your spine between your neck and lower back, links to your ribs. It’s built to bend, twist and round. When you reach for your toes, your hips bend first, then your spine rounds gently from your lower back up through your mid back.

If your mid back feels stiff, it may round less than usual. That can make the fold feel blocked partway, or leave your lower back doing more of the work.

Gentle rounding is part of the stretch

Some people try to keep their back flat all the way down, worried that rounding is unsafe. For a toe touch, a gentle, relaxed rounding through your spine is a normal part of the movement. Letting your head and shoulders hang can help your mid back soften into the fold, rather than forcing it.

Getting your mid back moving

A few gentle movements before your goal video may help your mid back feel freer. You could try:

• Seated rounding. Sit tall, then slowly round your back, letting your chin drop and your shoulders curl forward. Sit tall again. Repeat five times.
• Hands and knees. On all fours, slowly round your back towards the ceiling, then let it gently dip. Move slowly, within a comfortable range.
• Seated twists. Sit tall with your arms crossed over your chest, and turn gently from your mid back to each side.

Breathing into your back

Your ribs move as you breathe, so slow breathing can gently move your mid back too. During a fold, you could try breathing slowly into the back of your ribs and letting each out-breath soften the stretch.

Building your reach

Much of the early progress in stretching comes from your nervous system getting used to the stretch, so it lets you go a little further each time. About 10 minutes a week for each area is enough to see changes. Keeping a soft bend in your knees and folding from your hips helps your back stay comfortable as your reach builds.

Strength through your back and hips supports your reach too. Your goal videos include strength moves through a full range alongside the stretches.

Changing position through the day

Mid back stiffness often builds after long spells in one position. Changing position often, and taking short movement breaks, may help it feel less stiff by the end of the day.

Something to try this week

Before your goal video, try five slow seated roundings, letting your chin drop and your shoulders curl, then sitting tall again.

What to take away

• Let your spine round gently as you fold.
• Let your head and shoulders hang.
• Try seated rounding or twists before your goal video.
• Change position often through the day.

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