Scorpion Reaches

A prone rotational mobility drill, lying face down and reaching one leg up and across the body toward the opposite hand, twisting through the hips and low spine while the chest stays grounded. It mobilizes hip and spinal rotation in a position most other poses in this library don't access from.

“Let the chest and shoulders stay grounded as the leg reaches across.”

Cue: “Prone, one leg reaches across the body toward the opposite hand, chest stays down”

The chest and shoulders staying grounded, similar to the anchoring principle in Open-Book Twist and Bretzel Stretch, is what isolates this rotation to the hips and low spine rather than letting the whole upper body twist along with the leg. That anchor is what makes this a genuine hip and low-back mobility drill rather than a full-body roll.

To rotate through the hips and low spine from a prone position, one leg reaching across the body, the chest and shoulders staying grounded throughout.

1. 1Lie face down, arms extended out to the sides in a T shape.
2. 2Bend one knee, and begin reaching that foot up and across the body toward the opposite hand.
3. 3Let the hip and low spine rotate to allow this reach, while the chest and shoulders stay grounded on the floor.
4. 4Reach as far as feels available without lifting the chest or shoulders.
5. 5Return the leg to the starting position with control, then repeat on the other side.
6. 6Continue alternating sides for several slow, controlled repetitions.

Instead of searching for the “correct” position, notice:

• •Chest and shoulders stay grounded on the floor throughout, not lifting or rotating with the leg.
• •The reach happens through hip and low spine rotation, the anchored upper body providing the stable base.
• •Movement stays slow and controlled, not using momentum to fling the leg across.

An easy, continuous breath, with the exhale often supporting the reach across the body.

The chest and shoulders deserve attention for any lift or rotation as the leg reaches across. That's the clearest sign the movement has stopped being isolated to the hips and low spine.

Reflect after practising:

• •Keep your chest and shoulders grounded. If they're lifting or twisting along with the leg, the rotation has left your hips.
• •A smaller reach with a genuinely grounded chest is more valuable than a bigger one where your upper body is helping.

Rather than mistakes, you may notice:

• •Practice slowly and with a smaller range initially, building a clear sense of the anchored upper body before allowing the leg to reach further across.

• •A smaller range of motion, the foot reaching only partway across the body.

• ✓Return to a neutral prone position, resting before moving to the next pose.