STARTING POSITION

Begin in a quadruped position on the mat. Align your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Maintain a neutral spine by bracing your core muscles, ensuring the natural curves of your back are preserved. Stabilize your scapulae by gently drawing your shoulder blades into the back while keeping your head aligned with your spine.

MOVEMENT

Inhale — Brace your core, focusing on lengthening the spine and maintaining spine alignment. Ensure the scapulae are gliding into a neutral position on the back.

Exhale — Simultaneously extend your right arm forward and left leg backward, brushing them along the floor before lifting them until they are parallel to the ground. Create a straight line from fingertips to toes. Keep your pelvis and shoulders square to the floor, maintaining neutral alignment and avoiding any rotation. Focus on cross-body stabilization, engaging the core to maintain balance.

Inhale — Hold the extended position for 4–8 counts, emphasizing core engagement and axial elongation.

Exhale — Slowly return the arm and leg to the starting position with control.

Repeat the movement on the opposite side. Perform 4–10 repetitions on each side, alternating sides with each repetition.

• Core Stabilizers including the transverse abdominis, multifidus, rectus abdominis, and obliques; these muscles work synergistically to maintain spinal alignment and control during movement.

• Spinal Extensors with emphasis on the erector spinae and multifidus, which are crucial for extending and stabilizing the spine during the exercise.

• Gluteal Muscles: The gluteus maximus is primarily responsible for hip extension, while the gluteus medius and minimus are essential for stabilizing the pelvis.

• Shoulder Stabilizers including the deltoids, trapezius, and serratus anterior; these muscles help maintain shoulder alignment and support arm movements.

• Hamstrings: Assist in hip extension and work synergistically with the gluteus maximus to control leg movements; they also contribute to stabilizing the knee joint.

• Hip Stabilizers such as the piriformis and obturator externus, these muscles aid in maintaining hip joint stability during the exercise.

• Iliopsoas: Acts to control hip flexion and assists in returning the extended leg to the starting position. It stabilizes the lumbar spine and ensures pelvic alignment during movement.

• Enhance full-body integration and coordination. Promotes synchronized movement across the kinetic chain, improving overall motor control.
• Develop cross-body spinal stability- promotes contralateral movement patterns, enhancing functional core stability.
• Improve abdominal control and core strength.
• Promote shoulder and pelvic stability.
• Facilitate hip extension and mobility.
• Enhance neuromuscular coordination and anti-rotational control – Improves proprioceptive feedback and the body’s ability to resist unwanted rotational forces.
• Support spinal alignment and posture.