Rite 4: Tabletop
Flow Through the Body, Free the Breath
"When effort meets rhythm, the body begins to release."
What is Rite 4?
Rite 4 introduces a dynamic back-and-forth movement from a seated position into a reverse tabletop. This rite is a full-body bridge (physically and energetically). It invites you to stabilize through your base while lifting and expanding your front body. The thighs, hips, and spine are engaged to form a table, a structure of support, clarity, and elevation.
This Rite links your lower and upper body, your inhale and exhale, and your strength and softness. It stimulates spinal flow, shoulder mobility, and hip extension, while encouraging you to find presence in rhythm.
Where Rite 3 lifted the heart, Rite 4 circulates that energy, clearing stagnation and restoring natural flow through the spine, lymph, and breath.
With each rep, you build a wave of motion that detoxifies the body and re-educates the nervous system to move with coherence instead of contraction.
Symbolically, this movement is a gesture of trust and receptivity. To lift the front body while facing upward is to say, “I am supported. I am open.” It reflects the willingness to meet life with both strength and surrender.
Why Rite 4 Matters
Nervous System
Supports cross-body integration between hemispheres of the brain and sides of the body
Promotes neuroplasticity by linking movement, rhythm, and breath
Calms the nervous system through repetitive, pendulum-like motion
Respiratory System
Encourages deep diaphragmatic and intercostal breathing
Expands the ribcage and chest while strengthening the exhale
Coordinates breath with spinal motion, improving breath rhythm and control
Lymphatic + Glymphatic Systems
Shoulder and hip pumping support major lymphatic drainage routes (axillary, inguinal, and abdominal)
Gentle spinal inversion encourages glymphatic movement and overall fluid flow
Repetitive motion creates a natural pulse for moving stuck fluid and energy
Circulatory System
Improves venous return from legs and arms through movement and muscular engagement
Increases circulation to the chest, spine, and shoulders
Helps regulate blood pressure and heart rate through breath awareness
Muscular & Skeletal Systems
Strengthens glutes, hamstrings, triceps, and upper back
Mobilizes hips, wrists, shoulders, and spine
Builds functional strength and flexibility across the anterior and posterior chains
Fascia
Activates the spiral and lateral fascial lines, especially across the torso and hips
Unwinds stuck tension from the side body and shoulder girdle
Encourages whole-body tensegrity through dynamic motion and stabilization
Endocrine & Reproductive Systems
Opens space through the pelvis and abdomen, supporting hormonal flow
Stimulates circulation to the adrenal glands and reproductive organs
Activates regions linked to solar plexus and heart centers, balancing internal energy
How to Practice Rite 4
Sit with your legs extended in front of you and your hands placed beside your hips, palms down, fingers pointing forward.
On an inhale, press through your heels and palms to lift your hips toward a reverse tabletop position.
Let your head gently drop back only if it feels safe for your neck.
On an exhale, lower your hips back to the floor with control, returning to a tall seated position.
Move fluidly with breath, maintaining steady rhythm and intention with each repetition.
Begin with 3 repetitions and increase gradually to 21 over time.
Modify if needed: Keep shoulders open and breath steady.
Pause + Ground
Press down through your heels and palms evenly to create stability.
Keep core and glutes engaged as you lift.
Let the chest and heart lead the lift, rather than the pelvis alone.
Keep movement rhythmic, not rushed, each cycle is a wave: inhale/lift, exhale/lower.
If your neck is sensitive, keep your gaze forward or slightly upward rather than dropping the head back.
Lower down slowly and rest on your back or in a seated forward fold. Feel the connection between your base and your voice. Notice the balance between effort and openness.
Contraindications
Avoid or modify this Rite if you have:
Wrist, shoulder, or rotator cuff injuries
Severe neck or cervical spine issues
Chronic hip pain or sacroiliac instability
Recent abdominal surgery or pelvic floor concerns
Modifications
Keep knees bent and feet flat (easier lift into reverse tabletop)
Turn fingers slightly outward or backward if wrist strain is present
Place blocks under hands to reduce shoulder compression
Keep your chin tucked or neutral if you have neck sensitivity
Use seated hip lifts (hands behind hips, knees bent) as a gentler variation
Why This Rite Is Foundational
Rite 4 is where rhythm returns.
It bridges the grounding of the lower body with the opening of the upper body, helping energy and breath move fluidly across the spine and side body. This Rite activates your body's natural detox pathways and restores your ability to move with coherence, not compensation.
It teaches you to:
Coordinate breath with action
Integrate left and right, front and back, effort and release
Stay grounded through movement instead of bracing against it
This is where the system begins to pulse with clarity, supported by flow instead of force.
Final Note
Movement as Medicine
There’s something deeply healing about repeating a movement that invites both power and surrender.
Rite 4 reminds you that flow doesn’t require perfection, just presence. Each lift is a choice to rise with rhythm. Each return is a reminder that grounding is part of the dance.
This is a movement of release, of returning to the breath, and of trusting that momentum can be gentle yet still powerful.
Reflection Questions
Where in my body do I resist fluid motion?
Can I soften into rhythm without needing to control it?
What does it feel like to let breath lead my flow?
Practice It With Me
Rite 4 is included in my full guided sequence, or try the 2-minute detox + breath rhythm practice to reconnect with shoulder mobility, breath-led motion, and somatic release.
No equipment needed. Just your breath, your body, and a willingness to let go.
Ready for the Final Rite?
After breath finds rhythm, Rite 5 completes the circuit. It links upper and lower body, breath and structure, in a movement that grounds energy through spinal extension and dynamic engagement.
This final Rite creates energetic integration, pulling together all previous movements into one powerful, focused flow.
👉 Explore Rite 5: Anchor the Energy, Integrate the Flow
Learn how this final Rite supports spinal alignment, core balance, and full-body recalibration.
