Welcome back! I’m Tiffany, a local physical therapist and yoga instructor. In this series, I share simple movement tips to help you feel stronger, move with confidence, and get the most out of your yoga practice—both on and off the mat.

Have you ever noticed that your neck feels strained in backbends, your shoulders feel restricted overhead, or your twists don’t seem to go anywhere? The issue may not be those areas at all—it could be your thoracic spine.

When the thoracic spine becomes stiff, nearby areas often compensate. Your neck may move more than it should, your low back may overarch during backbends, or your shoulders may have to work harder to reach overhead. Over time, these compensations can contribute to neck, shoulder, or back discomfort.

The good news? A little awareness can go a long way.

Try it out this week:

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Don’t Forget Your Breath:

Because your ribs attach directly to your thoracic spine, breathing and thoracic mobility are closely connected.

Take a moment in Corpse Pose (Savasana) to notice where your breath naturally expands. Does it easily fill your chest, side ribs, abdomen, and back body? Many of us primarily breathe into the front of our chest without realizing how little movement occurs elsewhere.

Rather than forcing a bigger breath, simply become curious. As you inhale, gently invite your breath to expand in all directions, allowing your rib cage to move three-dimensionally.

Small changes in how your thoracic spine moves—and how you breathe—can make a surprising difference in how your entire body feels, both during yoga and throughout your day.

Notice What You Feel:

As you move through these exercises, notice how much your thoracic spine is contributing. Does it move freely, or does the movement seem to come mostly from your neck or low back?

For many of us, the thoracic spine moves less than we expect. Some of that is completely normal—this region is designed to provide stability and support the rib cage. However, it can also become unnecessarily stiff from prolonged sitting, repetitive postures, or simply not moving through its full range very often.

The more you bring awareness to your thoracic spine during your yoga practice, the better you’ll be able to distinguish between normal stability and unnecessary restriction. Over time, improving mobility where it’s needed can help your neck, shoulders, and low back move more comfortably and efficiently.

Welcome back! I’m Tiffany, a local physical therapist and yoga instructor. In this series, I’ll be sharing simple movement tips to help you feel stronger, move with confidence, and get the most out of your yoga practice—both on and off the mat.

In February, we discussed the anatomy and importance of the transverse abdominis muscle and how to begin feeling and using it. Another group of muscles that plays a major role in supporting the low back and pelvis is the gluteals.
This includes the gluteus maximus (the main “butt” muscle most people think of) but also several deeper stabilizing muscles, including the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, piriformis, and other deep hip rotators.

When these muscles aren’t activating or coordinating well, other structures, such as the low back, hip joints, tendons, or ligaments, often compensate. Over time, this can contribute to discomfort, tension, or inefficient movement patterns.

The good news is that these muscles can be retrained through awareness, strengthening, and intentional movement.

Try it out this week:

As you move through yoga this week, bring awareness to whether you can actually feel your glute muscles working, especially during standing, balancing, and hip-driven movements.

In poses like Chair Pose, Warrior III, Half Moon Pose, Bridge Pose, or when rising from a forward fold, notice whether you can feel a steady contraction through the sides of your glutes and deep in the buttocks rather than gripping through your low back or elsewhere. Try maintaining a neutral pelvis instead of excessively tucking under.

You can also explore single-leg balance poses and notice whether your pelvis stays level or if one hip drops or shifts outward. Awareness and muscle coordination are the foundation for building strength, stability, and resilient movement patterns. Before we strengthen movement, we first have to feel and coordinate it.

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