Why You Should Practice Tabletop Pose, Especially with Scoliosis
/Tabletop, or quadruped, position is a common yoga pose that is often used as a transition in poses like Cat-Cow or Child’s Pose. However, it can be a very useful pose in its own right, especially for those with scoliosis.
Tabletop is a great way to stretch and strengthen your core, back, shoulders, arms, wrists, and hands. Finding stability and strength in this position helps you build a foundation for other yoga poses and exercises.
Here are some of the key benefits of practicing Tabletop:
Improve Posture and Alignment
Neutral Spine: Tabletop offers a stable foundation to find a neutral spine position, where your spine is neither rounded nor excessively arched. This can help you improve your posture and strengthen core and back muscles that support proper alignment throughout the body.
Shoulder and Pelvic Alignment: Tabletop helps stabilize the shoulders and prevents them from rounding forward, improving shoulder mobility. Also, engaging the core helps tilt the pelvis slightly forward, which helps improve spinal alignment and reduces lower back strain and pain.
Strengthen and Stabilize
Core Engagement: Tabletop requires constant core engagement to maintain alignment, strengthening abdominal muscles (particularly the transverse abdominis) and improving overall stability for daily movements and exercises like twists and squats—or getting in and out of the car or climbing stairs.
Upper and Lower Body Activation: Tabletop activates various muscle groups, including arms, shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, building strength throughout the body.
Other Benefits
Mindful Breathing: Tabletop can be a good starting point for focusing on breath work in yoga, promoting relaxation and stress reduction.
Warm-up and Cool-down: It’s a versatile pose for a gentle warm-up or cool-down during a yoga practice or exercise session.
Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention: The controlled movements and alignment in Tabletop can be helpful for rehabilitation and preventing injuries due to imbalances or muscle weakness, especially for pelvis, back, and shoulder injuries or conditions.
These benefits are all helpful for those with scoliosis. Tabletop will help you find stability in your joints and improve your posture and alignment, things that are affected by scoliosis. Strengthening your core is also key to supporting your back and reducing back pain.
How to Do It
Start on your hands and knees with your knees hip-width apart and your hands shoulder-width apart.
Position your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Press down into your hands and feet to engage your arms and legs.
Keep your back flat and your spine neutral. Don’t let your lower back sag or round.
Engage your core muscles to draw your lower abdominals (the space an inch or two below your navel) up toward your spine and away from the floor.
Lengthen your neck and keep your head in line with your spine.
Spread your fingers wide to create a larger base and press your fingertips evenly into the mat.
Align your lower legs straight behind you. Notice if they want to turn in our out.
Relax your shoulders and roll them back and down away from your ears.
Hold for 30–60 seconds.
THis is what not to do! Here the lower back and belly are collapsed, the shoulders aren’t active and are also sinking and the feet are coming toward each other near the midline of the body.
Here are some additional tips for getting into a proper quadruped position for those with scoliosis or knee conditions:
For scoliosis, notice if one hip or shoulder is lower than the other. Try to balance them from top to bottom, front to back, and side to side. Keep each side an equal distance from the midline and each side lengthened the same amount from the shoulders to the hips.
If your knees are uncomfortable, place a mat or folded blanket under them for padding.
If your wrists are uncomfortable, try placing fists or just fingertips (with wrists and palms lifted) on the mat.
If you have difficulty keeping your balance, you can start with your hands and knees closer together.
Toes can be curled under for more stability and a foot stretch or the tops of the feet pressing down into the mat.
Once you’re comfortable in this pose, you can hold it for longer or use it as a starting point for other yoga poses.
If you have any injuries or medical conditions that still make this pose uncomfortable, consult a healthcare professional to discuss your exercise options. However, hopefully this can become a powerful, strengthening pose for you that reduces pain and improves your day-to-day mobility and function.