1. Pause

When breaking old habits it is a good idea to pause and think before performing the action. Your bad habits are deep in your muscle memory so it will take active thought to break them. First visualize what you are going to do. This will help prevent you from falling back into your old way.

Bending from the back causes pain.

2. Pelvis back

Learning to hinge from the hips can feel strange because it seems like you are sticking out your bottom. Instead of leading with your head and shoulders, think about pushing the pelvis back before you start the movement. The tailbone and sitz bones release back.

3. Elongate

The goal is to create as much relaxed space in the spinal cord as you can. Gently imagine the tailbone moving away from the crown of the head. Don’t tense the muscles of the back and neck to achieve elongation, just gently set the intention and let the body grow into the proper position through relaxation.