Here are 5 easy stretches to start with!
Get that mat out and use these stretches after any quick workout or if those muscles are feeling tight at the end of the day (or anytime of the day, really).
Child’s Pose
The first pose is probably one of everyone’s favorites….child’s pose!
I know this one is one of my favs…
I like to start in this asana after a workout to reduce my heart rate a little bit and to start trying to relax my body again. You can come into this pose whenever you want to!
It is great if you just need a little break during a difficult pose, or if you just want a little stretch.
Cobra Pose
The next asana is also a great one. I love this one to really stretch out my lower back. Back extensions are so important, and it is something we commonly forget to do. Back extensions are even more important nowadays, since we typically spend much of our day hunched over our phones and computers.
No one wants a hump, am I right?!?!
Cat Pose
Cat pose is another one that most people are pretty familiar with. This one is typically paired with Cow pose as well.
Cat pose feels amazing on your back too (notice a trend here?)
This asana is great to start AND end your days with! We want to make sure we keep our spine nice and lubricated which is done through moving our bodies and stretching every single day.
Cow Pose
Of course we need to move into Cow pose now!
Have you ever seen a yoga class taught with only cat or only cow?
I have not seen that one yet, but I am sure other yoga instructors have tried it! Yoga has been practiced for thousandssss of years, we cannot forget that!
But I like to keep these two poses together since I feel like they are kind of like yin and yang poses, they compliment each other.
Cat and Cow poses are easy stretches that anyone can do!
Did you know you can even do them in a chair if you have mobility issues?
Yoga is so adaptive! I think that is why it has lasted so long.
No matter your flexibility, stamina, or health issues, there are always yoga poses you can accomplish or modify!
Let me know in the comment section if you would like me to demonstrate modifications to common poses.
Big Toe Pose
Our final stretching pose is a variation of another asana that pretty much every single person has either attempted or seen somewhere.
It is called the Big Toe Pose
This one looks very similar to the Forward Fold pose, with your hands either tucked under your feet, or your fingers wrapping around your big toes.
If you cannot touch your feet, no worries at all!
We can use a block and can get the same type of stretch in your hamstrings!
Yoga is not about touching the floor, it is about listening to what your body wants and needs.
I hope some of these stretches will be helpful and give you some relief. Moving your body in some sort of capacity every single day is so important! It is so easy to get caught up in our busy day to day lives that we forget we need to take care of our bodies too.
Our bodies are kind of like well oiled machines (when they are working right).
When the body is not working right, then we have constant breakdowns, injuries, and even our mental health suffers.
Who wants that?!!?
Life is hard enough as it is.
Try to take even just 5-10 minutes every day to stretch, meditate, journal, walk, or do something else that you love, and you should see positive changes happen in your life.
Namaste
