Side Stretch for Breath, Torso Mobility & Ease
by Lisa Danahy
A gentle side body stretch designed to enhance breath, improve torso mobility, and cultivate ease throughout the body. This simple movement practice lengthens the sides of the torso, helping to create space through the ribs, intercostal muscles, and spine. As the body opens laterally, the breath becomes naturally fuller, more spacious, and easier to access. This practice supports functional mobility, improved breathing mechanics, and gentle nervous system regulation, making it especially helpful if you’ve been sitting for long periods or feeling tightness through the chest, shoulders, or mid-back. With each side stretch, you are not only releasing physical tension—you are restoring ease of movement and supporting a more open, efficient breath pattern. Your guide, Lisa Danahy, is a registered IAYT yoga therapist specializing in trauma-informed care, nervous system regulation, and integrative wellness practices.
Transcript
Sit with a tall spine,
Arms by your side.
Inhale the arms overhead.
And exhale fold to one side.
Inhale back to center.
And exhale to the other side.
Keep the hips centered as you come back to the middle and fold over to the other side.
Lengthen the spine as you breathe in and come back to center and keep the length in both sides of the body as you fold to the side.
Breathe in,
Coming back to the middle.
Breathe out to one side.
Breathing,
Coming back to the middle.
You back to the other side.
Notice the difference in the two sides.
Can you balance the experience on both sides?
And coming back to the middle,
Inhale,
And exhale,
Lower the arms by your side.
Inhale and raise the arms up overhead.
Exhale the hands down in front of your heart.
Meet your Teacher
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