11/02/2026
Mermaid on the Chair
This movement gives the mid back, the thoracic spine, something many of us are missing. Options.
Here we move through lateral flexion, rotation, and a touch of flexion. We are exploring movement across multiple planes, especially the frontal plane with side bending and the transverse plane as rotation is added. The pelvis stays grounded so the ribs and thoracic spine can truly articulate.
So many of us get stiff through this area from sitting, driving, and being on our phones. When the thorax becomes rigid, the neck and low back often try to take over. Cue the sore neck and sore back.
I love this variation because it gently restores movement where we commonly lose it. It helps the rib cage move with more freedom, which can make breathing feel easier.
Mermaid often feels like a slow, moving massage for the muscles around the spine, including the erector spinae and the smaller stabilisers underneath like multifidus and rotatores. As we side bend and rotate, those tissues lengthen and contract, encouraging circulation and hydration in a nourishing way.
It is not about pushing range. It is about creating space.
Stability below. Mobility above.
