Everyone loves a good stretch...
Everyone stretches, whether it's in the morning when they wake and stretch our their back or if you stretch down to your toes or even a full stretch routine, everyone does it at some point.
Our bodies crave such restorative body movement to relax and feel comfortable.
I've taken a bit of a break from my fitness at the moment, however, I have been thoroughly doing stretches and yoga to fill in the gaps as it were.
We all have those down days so today I thought I would share some of my favourite stretches.
1. Bow Pose
This one I love so much because it stretches your whole body. You don't have to be very flexible to do this and in all honestly looks harder than it actually is.
Doing this pose feels absolutely amazing. It is so good for your back muscles. It strengthens your body and improves your posture. As you can imagine working at a desk all day this pose is a lifesaver.
To simply do this move you just need to lie down on your stomach, legs flat to the floor and put your hands crossed in front of you.
Slowly lift up your legs back towards you and then again slowly grab your ankles or heel of your foot whichever is easiest and hold.
You can also make it harder by rocking back and forth on your hip bones too.
2. Child's pose
Now this one feels so good, you literally release stress doing this pose and it also helps with anxiety. Doing this pose will help you so much if you do suffer from any of these.
Childs pose lengthens and stretches your spine which again is good if you have an office job. It can also relieve neck and lower back pain.
To do this one it's fairly easy. It's better done on a yoga mat. In a kneeling position, move your legs to the width of your mat and slowly reach down and spread your hands the width of your legs and push out.
3. Butterfly pose
This pose can be a little tricky to do, however, it is great for your inner thighs and improves your flexibility. It's also good for blood circulation and if you are sitting long hours.
You can really feel this stretch. So to do this you would need to sit crossed legged but move your feet together so the palms of your feet are touching and then hold your feet.
This is the basic butterfly post however I tend to go a bit further than that and reach down with my arms. I'm not that flexible so I cannot put them completely down on the floor but this deepens the stretch and makes you feel great.
4. Low Lizard
This one can be difficult to get on your forearms but is super restorative. This pose is excellent for stretching the hips. Regular practice improves the flexibility of your hips too.
Stretching always improves my mood so it's no wonder they are such a stress reliever.
To do this pose you need to get into a low lunge position and then slowly put your arms on the floor. It's very important with this one that you do breathe through your nose and out through your mouth. This breathing exercise helps with the stretch but also relaxes you.
5. Wide-legged seated arm stretch.
To do this one you need to move your legs to the width of your mat or there about if you're not as flexible and then stretch your arm to your toes.
Alternatively, you can stretch both your arms in front of you.
This one not only stretches your whole body, but it also improves your digestion/bloating.
I do many other stretches but these are the ones I like doing the most.
They are super easy, anyone can do them. However, they help me with my mindset and generally have a good day.
You should really do each stretch for at least 30 seconds for them to really have an effect.
Feel free to try them out and let me know how you get on.
All my love,
T
xxx
Add your comment