Overview
Short Spine is a variation — and a demanding one. Not every client is comfortable inverting with their weight stacked above the shoulder blades, so the version taught in the book simplifies the movement to make it far more accessible. Clients really enjoy it: at its heart it is much like rolling a ball, offering a lovely spinal massage as the spine peels through the movement.
Setup
- Begin with the straps placed securely on the feet, in the same setup as the underlying exercise.
- The key is to keep the back lifted and the legs tucked — we are rolling up towards the centre, not tipping over the top.
Key Teaching Cues
- Lengthen and tuck up towards the centre — we are not going over the top of the head.
- Keep the back up as you tuck the knees in towards the chest; the knees land over the head, with the back of the knee tucked into the back of the calf.
- Keep everything glued together — the knees must not detach from the chest.
- Peel the spine down one vertebra at a time, landing the tailbone down last.
- Breathing: inhale to tuck the knees, exhale to hold the tuck and begin the roll.
- On the return, come back with the spine, not with the knees — the knees stay connected as the spine rolls down.
- Press up through the straps — do not let the strap win by pulling the legs back down.
Common Faults
- Rolling too far over, past the centre point.
- The knees detaching from the chest as the spine rolls down.
- Letting the straps pull the legs away instead of pressing up against them.
- Losing the articulation — moving the back as one block instead of peeling vertebra by vertebra.
Variations
- The classic full inversion, for clients who are comfortable and confident.
- The plié version (legs bent in the plié position) as a further variation for clients who find the full position challenging.
- Use the version in the book whenever a client is not comfortable inverting with weight stacked above the shoulder blades.