This class focuses on releasing and restoring movement in the mid back — one of the most commonly stiff areas in the body, and one of the most consequential when it loses its mobility.
The mid back, or thoracic spine, is designed to rotate. It is built for it. But modern life — long hours sitting, working at a desk, looking at screens, driving — gradually compresses and stiffens this region until rotation becomes limited and uncomfortable. The body does not simply accept this loss of movement. Instead it finds it elsewhere. When the mid back stops moving freely, the neck and shoulders are asked to compensate above, and the lower back is asked to compensate below. Over time this compensation creates the tension, aching, and pain that so many people feel in these areas — often without realising that the mid back is the original source.
Freeing up the mid back does not just help the mid back. It takes the excessive demand off the neck, shoulders, and lower back, allowing the whole spine to work as the coordinated, mobile system it was meant to be.
We begin this class by releasing the diaphragm, because a tight or restricted diaphragm directly limits how freely the mid back and ribcage can move. From there we use breath to open the back and side ribs — creating space and softness in the thoracic region before we begin to move it. This preparation makes the mobilizations that follow more effective and more accessible.
The movements in this class are gentle, seated mobilizations that target mid back rotation and ribcage expansion. They are the kind of movements that are genuinely helpful to return to daily — a short practice that can make a noticeable difference in how your whole upper and lower body feels over time.
You will need a chair and a pillow.
This class gives your mid back the attention it rarely gets — releasing the stiffness that quietly drives tension through your neck, shoulders, and lower back, and restoring the rotation that keeps your whole spine feeling free.