The way we live our lives nowadays makes our body begs for a good stretch to get rid of the knots and tightness in the muscles as we spend most of our time hunched over our computer or slouched in front of the TV. Our sedentary habits are putting ourselves at high risk from various health problems not to mention reduced flexibility and mobility. If you want to avoid this problem, it would be a good idea to try out some yoga poses to give your muscles a nice good stretch to increase your flexibility and to minimize muscle pulls or sprains.
To help you get started, here are some yoga poses you should try to do regularly.
- Cat-cow. Go down on all fours with your spine in a neutral pose. Arch your spine upwards as you look down at your thighs. Take a deep breath then bring your spine back to its neutral pose then look upwards as you drop your belly close to the floor. Do this four times. Continue alternating between cat and cow pose to increase your spine’s flexibility.
- Standing side bend. As the name suggests, doing side bending is going to help lengthen your spine. Stand tall with your feet as well as your legs together. Reach both arms overhead as you inhale. Lower right arm down at your side then exhale as you lengthen your left arm over your head while bending your body gently towards the right. On inhale, return your arms overhead and to the center. As you exhale, repeat the steps on your left side.
- Downward dog. For this yoga pose, you will need to start on all fours with your spine flat and neutral. Tuck your toes then lift your hips. Bring your heels toward the ground then pedal feet so that your hamstrings as well as your calves can be jolted awake. Hold this posse for three breaths before going back to your first position.
- Crescent lunge. Start in a standing position then step your left foot back so that the ball of your feet is pressed on the back of the mat. Your feet should be slightly wider as if you are standing on a rail road track. Raise both arms up overhead then bend your right knee to 90 degrees. Your shoulders should be relaxed as you keep your hands reaching overhead and lengthening your back leg. Hold this pose for 30 seconds then switch to the other leg.
- Standing forward. If you’ve been sitting for hours, you need to get up and do a standing forward pose. Stand upright with your shoulders drooping. Hinge forward slowly until you can touch your toes. If you can’t touch your toes yet, try bending your knees. If, on the other hand, your fingertips can easily touch the floor, bend one knee then the other to help open your hamstrings. Go back up slowly to your first position.
