Stretching
Here are some quick stretches for flexibility designed for the entire body. The full sequence should only take seven minutes.
Neck Rolls
– Begin standing with your feel hip-width apart
– Roll your neck side to side in little half circles
– If you find a spot with a knot in it, hold it there and breathe into the knot
– Otherwise, keep rocking side to side for a minute
Upper Body Stretch
– Start with your arms fully extended in front, palms pressed together, fingertips facing away from you
– As you inhale, open your arms out to the sides
– Stretch your chest and arms, lifting your breastbone toward the ceiling
– Keep pulling your shoulder blades back and together
– As you exhale, take your hands back together in front of you with your arms fully extended again
– Round your upper back and drop your chin, stretching your upper back and shoulders
– Repeat several times for up to a minute, moving with your breathing
Side Bends
– Still standing, with your feet about hip-distance apart and rooted firmly into the ground, lift your left arm up and reach overhead, fingertips pointing to the right
– You want to feel an opening through your ribcage, lats and obliques
– Hold for about 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side
– Make sure you don’t let your chest collapse
– Keep your top shoulder pulling back toward the wall behind you
Forward Fold
– From your standing position, fold forward, letting your head drop toward the floor
– Pretend the top of your head and the floor are magnets, pulling toward each other; the goal is to stretch out your hamstrings and back
– If you find this stretch too intense, bend your knees a little bit; if you want more intensity, take your hands to the backs of your calves and pull your nose closer to your knees as you exhale
– Do not hold any tension in your neck or upper body; the weight of your upper body will help you to fold more deeply into the stretch
– Hold for up to a minute
Cat/Cow
– Come on to your hands and knees with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees underneath your hipbones
– On an inhale, arch your back and look up, releasing your tailbone and stretching your abdominals
– On your exhale, press into your hands and round your back, getting a dome shape in your upper back like a cat
– Repeat a few times, moving very slowly, vertebrae by vertebrea, to stretch your spine from top to bottom
Quad Stretch
– Sit back on your heels, stretching out your quads
– If you don’t feel a stretch, move your hands behind you for support and lean back a bit until you feel a stretch
– Hold for up to a minute
Child’s Pose
– From an all-fours position, push your hips back toward your heels and rest your forehead on the ground
– It’s okay if your hips don’t touch your heels as long as they’re headed in that direction
– Stretch your arms out in front of you
– Assume the pose with your knees together or apart, whichever is more comfortable for you; the goal is to round the back, releasing tension from the spine
– Hold for about a minute
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