Anatomy of a Pillow Squeeze

 In this video we depict some of the things to be thinking about with muscle activation/deactivation exercises. 



The knee pillow squeeze is one of the most common posture therapy exercises we use. It looks simple, but the details matter. The same principles apply to similar movements like abductor presses, double doubles, and double switches. What you focus on during the exercise determines how much benefit you get from it.

Starting Position

• Begin from a stable seat, such as a block or a chair. Roll your hips forward to sit upright, keeping your feet in a hip-width stance. For the exercise itself, place a standard foam block between your knees. If you don’t have one, you can substitute with a yoga block, a rolled towel, or even your own fist.

The Movement

• Perform a slow, even squeeze and release. Avoid rushing — the pacing is key to allowing your muscles to engage and relax properly.

Building Awareness

• As you move, pay attention to differences between sides. For example, one hip may engage more readily than the other, or the sensation may feel concentrated in one spot on one side but more spread out on the other. This is normal, but the goal is to bring those sensations into balance. Adjust as needed to recruit the side that feels weaker or less active.

• Equally important is noticing how your muscles release. If one side doesn’t let go as easily, focus on softening between squeezes. Learning to release is just as valuable as learning to engage.

Why It Matters

These small details are easy to miss, but they’re essential for building balanced movement patterns. Over time, as your awareness improves, you’ll start noticing these differences more quickly and correcting them naturally.

The goal is not to simply hit a rep count, but to train your body toward symmetry and proper function. When you approach the pillow squeeze with this mindset, it becomes much more than a basic exercise, it becomes a tool for restoring balance across your body.

Serving Colorado from our centrally located office in Westminster and seeing clients from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder, we can also help globally via WebCam such as Zoom or FaceTime.

Anu Lawrence owned Egoscue Method clinics for over a decade before moving to private practice in 2022 and is a certified master instructor in the Egoscue Method, having learned the craft from Pete Egoscue directly.