To perform the Active Overhead Reach

1. Begin lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. With your elbows straight and hands together, rest your arms on top of your body (figure 1).
   
   
2. Keeping your elbows straight and hands together, raise your arms up overhead until you feel a stretch in your shoulders and upper back (figure 2).
   
   
3. To maintain proper form, do not allow your lower back to arch up off the mat as you raise the arms overhead (figure 3). To prevent this from happening, perform a posterior pelvic tilt and hold this pelvic position for the entire stretch.
   
   
4. Hold this stretch position for 1-2 seconds and then return to the starting position.
   
   
5. Repeat the overhead reaching motion 10 times.