How to do it
You need: Exercise mat, A towel.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Wrap a towel around your lower back and cross the ends over your tummy, holding one end in each hand for gentle support.
- Breathe out, lift your pelvic floor and gently draw your lower tummy in.
- As you gently pull the towel ends across each other, lift your head and the tops of your shoulders a small way off the floor.
- Keep the lift small enough that your tummy stays flat, with no ridge or bulge down the middle.
- Lower your head and shoulders back down slowly and release.
Form cues
- The tummy stays flat or draws inward as you lift, not pushed up into a dome.
- The movement is small and controlled - your shoulder blades barely leave the floor at first.
- You breathe out as you lift and in as you lower.
Common mistakes
- Lifting so high that a ridge appears or the tummy bulges along the midline - lift less.
- Leading with your chin or pulling your head up with your hands.
- Holding your breath through the lift.
Safety: Stop and message your physio if you notice new pelvic pain, a dragging or heavy feeling, doming that does not settle with a smaller lift, or any bleeding.