During this stretch, you must pay close attention to holding the stretch long enough to affect the multifidi muscles. They connect between your vertebrae and ribs in the spine and are some of the last muscles to relax, because they are usually constantly busy holding you upright.
Also, watch for your body's tendency to want to cheat by absorbing more of the motion in one area than another. Make every effort to hollow and round your back evenly along its length.
Stretch #2: Extending Your Spine
A more advanced pair of stretches to flex and extend your spine are designed to be held for a longer period of time. A minimum of 30 seconds is recommended, but if you can hold the stretch for a minute or two that is even better.
To extend your spine, lay back over a fitness ball (or haybale, cooler etc.) to extend your spine. If you feel pain in your lower back, you are hyper-extending your lower back and your spine is not rolling evenly into the position.
You can modify the stretch by picking your pelvis up a little to reduce bend in your lower back, while allowing your upper back to continue to mold over the fitness ball until your upper back "lets go". I have found that it is quite common in a dressage rider to have a very inflexible upper back, which makes taking the time to stretch it even more important.
Stretch #3: Flexing Your Spine
The reverse position is also known as plow pose in yoga. To get into the position, lie on your back with your knees bent. Lift your seat off the floor and place your hands at your waist with elbows on the floor. Lift your feet up and bring your knees over your head- you are now doing a curled up sort of shoulder stand on three points: elbows and base of neck/head. You can extend your legs over your head and slowly lower your feet toward the ground. As you start out, it feels kind of like a shoulder stand. Only let your legs lower toward the ground as far as you can comfortably. It is quite common for someone starting out with this stretch to feel some disks in your back fold more than others, or to feel a hamstring stretch in the back of your legs. Do not let your back take more motion at any one point- if you feel pain in a precise zone, ease out or cease the stretch.
This position feels almost suffocating to the lungs at first because they are getting compressed. You can "ease out" of it by bending your knees and lifting your legs up. If you are sick and your lungs are congested, or you have an asthma or other already constricting lunge condition, be very careful not to overdo this pose. A safer alternative might be simple bending forward in a seated position, and attempting to round your back as much as possible.
You can also modify it by doing it up against an object like a couch, where you can rest your legs comfortably. The goal, especially for a dressage rider, is to cause your upper back to flex and round. The more advanced a rider you are, the more you are likely in need of stretches like these because of the way you maintain a very straight posture for so many hours, against repeated 'load' from the horse.
If you feel any dizziness or nausea after back stretches, you should cease them and consult your doctor, physiotherapist or chiropractor.
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