Lotte Berk Swan Dive Flat Back

A precise, isometric hold engaging core and deep postural muscles, promoting spinal stability and subtle pelvic floor awareness.

Lotte Berk Method (Barre) · Developed by Lotte Berk, a German dancer, to rehabilitate her own back injury. It became a foundational exercise in her method, emphasizing core strength and precise bodily control. · Low back discomfort, need for core stabilization, desire for improved postural endurance, demand for subtle pelvic floor integration. · Hold for 20-30 seconds, maintaining steady, controlled breathing. Repeat 3-5 times. Gradually increase hold time to 45-60 seconds as strength improves.

Why it works

This movement targets the deep multifidus muscles along the spine, the transverse abdominis, and the pelvic floor. The isometric hold creates sustained tension, enhancing muscular endurance. The spinal extension, when controlled, mobilizes the thoracic spine while stabilizing the lumbar spine. Pelvic floor engagement is cued indirectly through deep core activation and breath, improving proprioception without direct, forceful contraction. This reduces excessive spinal flexion, a common contributor to low back strain.

How to practice

Begin kneeling with your knees hip-width apart and your hands resting lightly on your thighs or extended forward for balance.
Engage your core gently, drawing your navel towards your spine without hollowing or overarching your back.
Inhale as you hinge forward from your hips, maintaining a long, flat back. Allow your torso to become parallel to the floor, or as close as comfortable without rounding your spine.
Arms can extend forward in line with your shoulders, palms facing each other, or remain folded to your chest. Avoid shrugging your shoulders.
Hold this position, focusing on maintaining the straight line from the crown of your head to your tailbone. Imagine lengthening your spine in both directions.
Exhale slowly, deepening the engagement of your core and faintly drawing your pelvic floor muscles inward and upward. This is a subtle engagement, not a forceful contraction.
Keep your sternum lifted, avoiding collapse through the chest.
Maintain a slight arch in your lower back, rather than a completely flat back. This allows the multifidus and erector spinae to engage optimally.
Begin kneeling with your knees hip-width apart and your hands resting lightly on your thighs or extended forward for balance.
Engage your core gently, drawing your navel towards your spine without hollowing or overarching your back.
Inhale as you hinge forward from your hips, maintaining a long, flat back. Allow your torso to become parallel to the floor, or as close as comfortable without rounding your spine.
Arms can extend forward in line with your shoulders, palms facing each other, or remain folded to your chest. Avoid shrugging your shoulders.
Hold this position, focusing on maintaining the straight line from the crown of your head to your tailbone. Imagine lengthening your spine in both directions.
Exhale slowly, deepening the engagement of your core and faintly drawing your pelvic floor muscles inward and upward. This is a subtle engagement, not a forceful contraction.
Keep your sternum lifted, avoiding collapse through the chest.
Maintain a slight arch in your lower back, rather than a completely flat back. This allows the multifidus and erector spinae to engage optimally.