PRI Bench Activation (leg extension + torso rotation)

This exercise comes from the Postural Restoration Institute and works on integrating the core with the hamstrings in a rotational movement. Set up on the floor with your heels on a bench or chair, thighs vertical. Gently squeeze a small inflated ball, foam roller, yoga block, or other prop between your knees. Tuck your pelvis (flattening your back to the ground and lifting your hips off the ground slightly). Extend one leg into the air and reach with the opposite arm toward that foot, leaving your head on the ground and contracting across the core. Alternate reaching the other direction. Variation 1: Take several breaths in a row with the same leg extended, then repeat on the other side. Variation 2: Change the leg extension and reach on each breath, using the exhale to connect deeper with the core contraction on the side you're rotating toward.