If you keep up a regular exercise routine or work in a physical job, then you may regularly suffer from muscles soreness. Scientists believe that when the muscles are required to work harder or in a different way than usual, then the muscle fibers undergo microscopic damage, resulting in soreness.
Yoga can help alleviate the effects of overworked muscles. Here are a few of our go-to poses.
Wide-legged forward bend
- Stand with the legs far apart. Align the heels and turn the toes slightly inward. Place your hands on your hips.
- Take in a deep, cleansing breath, lifting the torso. On your exhale, fold forward at the hips. Press the palms of the hands into the floor in the middle of your legs. If you’re more flexible, bring the hands to your shins, ankles or feet. Get a deeper stretch by pulling on the ankles.
- Allow the head to dangle, aiming to place the crown of the head on the floor. You may reach the fingertips in between the legs, toward the back of the room.
- Remain in the pose for 5-10 breaths. On each exhalation, stretch and pull gently for a maximum stretch.
- To get out of the pose, bring the hands back to the hips and inhale, raising the torse back up to standing.
Cobra pose
- Lie down on your belly facing the floor. Press your hands on the floor under your shoulders with the tops of your feet on the floor. Keep the elbows back and close to your body. Press the lower body firmly into the floor.
- Inhale and begin to straighten the arms to lift the chest up. Keep the lower body pressing firmly into the floor.
- Press the shoulder blades together while lifting the ribs up. Lift through the top of the chest. Feel a slight backbend throughout the spine. Keep the neck long and your shoulders away from your ears. Fix your gaze forward.
- Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, breathing easily. Release back to the floor with an exhalation.
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.
Revolved Triangle pose
- Stand in mountain pose. Step your feet wide, about 3½ to 4 feet apart. Raise your arms parallel to the floor with your palms facing down. Turn your left foot in 45 degrees to the right and your right foot out to the right 90 degrees. Adjust the heels so they are aligned.
- Exhale and turn your torso to the right. Square your hips towards the front of your mat. Position the left hip around to the right and ground the left heel.
- As you exhale, lean forward over the front leg. Reach your left hand down and to the floor, placing the palm to the inside or outside the foot. If needed, place a yoga block against your inner right foot and rest your palm there. Keep your hips square to the ground. Aim your gaze to your right hand.
- Press the left palm down against the ground and reach your right hand toward the sky simultaneously. Stay long through the torso. Breathe and stretch.
- Stay in this pose from 30 seconds to one minute. Exhale and release the twist. Repeat for the same length of time with the legs reversed, twisting to the left.
