Stiff muscles and joints can bring a productive day to a screeching halt. Keeping your body flexible makes performing daily tasks easier and prevents future injuries.
Here are 4 of our favorite yoga poses to keep stiffness at bay.
Seated Forward Bend
- Sit tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Take a deep breath in, then exhale as you bend forward from the hips.
- Reach for your knees, shins, or toes.
- Aim to press your chest against your thighs. Relax the muscles in your head and neck.
- Hold the pose for 3 deep breaths.
Squat
- Stand in mountain pose with your palms together in prayer.
- Exhale and lower down slowly into a squat. Try to keep the feet flat on the ground.
- Breathe and press the elbows out against knees, stretching the groin area.
- Hold the pose for a few deep breaths. To exit the pose, stand up slowly or carefully sit on the floor.
Lunge Twist
- From downward facing dog, step your right foot forward between your hands. Straighten your left leg while balancing on the ball of your left foot.
- Place your left palm on the floor, on the inside of your right foot. Reach your right arm up toward the sky and gaze up. Lengthen your torso while twisting from the upper back.
- Settle into the pose and breathe for five deep breaths. Release from the pose by stepping back through to plank and into downward dog to switch sides.
Child’s Pose
- Start on your hands and knees. With your palms pressed into the floor and your knees open a little more than hip-width apart, push your buttocks back to sit on your feet. Stretch your arms as far in front of you as possible, continuing to press your palms or fingertips into the floor.
- Rest your forehead on the floor, taking the pressure off of your shoulders. You can also rest your arms, palms facing the sky, along either side of your body. Inhale and exhale deeply for 5-10 breaths.
- To get out of the pose, return to your hands and knees.
