The Sagittal Plane

The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right. When we move along this plane, we are using the
strength of our muscles to move parts of the body forward or backward. Extension and flexion happen
along the sagittal plane.

This means most running, biking, rowing, and lifting movements make use of this plane. For example, in
a squat, both hips move from extension into flexion, and back into extension. The hips and knees in
particular spend a lot of time in flexion, so mobility work should involve extending both joints.

How and Why to Use All 3 Planes of Motion to Improve Your Mobility - Fitness, yoga, mobility, flexibility,
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One area of the body we often forget to extend? The back. Every time we fold forward - think deadlifts or
simply picking objects up around the house - we flex the spine. Many of us can go through an entire day
without ever taking the spine into extension.

Yoga relies on back bending to keep the spine supple and young. Finding time to extend your spine every
day, even by simply laying over a yoga bolster, can leave you feeling as if you have more room in between
your vertebrae.
The Coronal Plane

The coronal plane divides the body into front and back. When we move along this plane, we are moving
toward or away from the midline. Adduction and abduction are movements along this plane. Many of
our daily movements and exercises involve very little abduction. We tend to stay fairly neatly hugged in
toward the middle.

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Yoga practice takes the body through abduction each time you come into a squat, a warrior-two family
pose, or draw the arms out and up as you rise to stand. Pulling your limbs away from the midline helps
to both functionally strengthen and open the abductor muscle groups of the hips and shoulders.

Knees and elbows, as hinge joints, are limited to flexion and extension and cannot truly move on the
coronal plane. To incorporate abduction into your daily life, sit in an un-weighted squat for a few minutes
a day with the arms open wide. Your body will thank you.
The Transverse Plane

The transverse (or horizontal) plane divides the body into top and bottom, but it is a little less
straightforward. Any time we rotate a joint we are moving along the transverse plane. In daily life, this is
the action we do least frequently, particularly with the large joints in the hips, shoulders, and spine.

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For this reason, yoga incorporates a lot of twisting and rotating. Each time you come to your mat, you
will likely be guided into at least one spinal twist.

Spinal twisting in particular provides a large host of benefits: it relieves muscular pain in the back by
lengthening the long muscles, particularly the latissimus dorsi (lats); it provides length between the
vertebrae and restores movement along the spine; and, it compresses the organs, helping them send
fluids and toxins to the glands in order to detoxify the body.

Every day, incorporate transverse movement into your body by lying on your back, squeezing the knees
into the chest and circling the hips in both directions, rolling the shoulders around in their sockets, and
twisting your knees to one side and the other. You don't need a fancy yoga class - or even a yoga pose,
really - to get the benefits of moving your body through the transverse plane.
If you're stuck on a few movements or stretches, you may be limiting your ability to truly increase your
range of motion. Most of our major muscles groups exist in more than one plane. The glutes, for
example, aid in extending the spine, abduct the hips, and externally rotate the hips.

This huge muscle group takes a part in all the planes of movement. By incorporating a movement along
each plane into a stretching session for your glutes, you will better target the areas of functional
tightness in this muscle group.