You’re doing the best you can.
You’re trying to stay positive while dealing with all the changes in your life.
A lot is going on and it can be difficult to keep everything up in the air, but if there's one thing I've learned from my years of experience in the health and fitness industry, it's that our own self-care is the first thing to suffer.
Inertia is a Powerful Force
You may start each day with plans to be active, but you may not end up doing anything because you feel overwhelmed or you run out of time.
The implication of this is that your energy will flow more freely through your body when you are open and unblocked. When you have more energy, you will find yourself coming back online more often and being fully charged.
Yoga to Unlock Energy and Relieve Pressure
This yoga sequence is designed to help you unlock the energy that's locked up inside your body, which will relieve the pressure you're feeling in your head and heart. It's simple, slow, and low-stress, so it will feel like an exhilarating and relaxing deep sigh.
We could all use a deep sigh right now.
Get down on the floor and do as many of these easy postures as you can for as long as it feels good.
Your Hips Hold Your Tension
Our hips are believed by many yogis to be where we store a lot of our emotional and spiritual tension. Even if you're skeptical of that claim, there's no denying that yoga poses that open up the hips feel really good.
This series of movements will focus on the hip joints, while also flowing through some spinal rolling. The aim is to get your energy flowing again. The whole sequence can be completed in less than 30 minutes.
I've made a series of short instructional videos, one for each couplet of poses. I encourage you to spend as much time in each pose as you want (I move through them more quickly in the videos, for the sake of brevity). This isn't intended to be an aerobic workout. The goal is to be gentle and kind to yourself; slow and easy is the name of the game.
I hope it helps you feel better!
Why is flexibility important?
Increasing your flexibility is good for you in many ways. Some of the most important benefits include:
- Greater range of motion. Increased flexibility makes it easier to move your joints in a normal direction with less effort.
- Less muscle tension. Stretching your muscles can help release tension and tightness, making it easier to move.
- Better posture. Tight, tense muscles can lead to muscle strain and poor posture.
- Less pain. When your muscles aren’t tense, there’s usually less stress and pressure on certain parts of your body and, as a result, less pain in your back, neck, and shoulders.
- Lower risk of injuries. Greater strength and flexibility in your muscles and joints may make you less prone to injuries.
- Less stress. When tension is released in your muscles, it may help you feel more relaxed. In turn, that may lower your stress levels.
- Improved circulation. Better blood flow may help your muscles recover more quickly after a workout and also prevent stiffness.
Warm-Up Yoga Sequence
- Spinal roll down
- Forward fold with dead hang
- Garland pose (or child’s pose)
- Spinal roll up
Do this exercise as many times as you want until your back and hips feel warm and flexible. Notice how it feels the first time you do it, and how it gets better with each round.
To get a good stretch in your spine, pretend that each of your spinal vertebrae is a pearl on a string. Focus on rolling each one up, one at a time, without moving the others.
Allow your head, shoulders, and arms to hang very heavily forwards so that you feel a sensation of traction within your spine.
If you're having trouble with garland pose, press your knees out with your elbows, drop your tailbone toward the floor, and try to lift the crown of your head toward the ceiling. If that's not working, take child's pose and settle right down into the floor. Be sure to emphasize the length of your spine by reaching the arms very far forward, and sending the hips very far back.
Lunge Sequence (front of hip)
- Upright reaching lunge
- Low lunge
Stand with your feet together then take a large step forward with one leg. Keeping your back straight, bend your other leg and lower yourself towards the floor. Reach your arm out in front of you and hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.
Bring your arms to the inside of the forward leg in the low lunge. You can remain up on your hands with straight arms, or bend your arms to drop lower. You may be able to take your elbows to the floor. Don’t feel the need to push it. This is meant to be gentle.
Stay in each lunge as long as you like and then repeat the sequence on the other side.
Frog Sequence (inside of hip)
- Frog pose
- Wide child’s pose
To get into frog pose, start by putting your elbows on the floor. Then, take your knees and ankles wide, and point your toes outwards. You may want to put a pillow under each knee for comfort if you're on a hard floor. Gently press into your elbows to tilt your hips and tailbone backwards. Frog pose can start to feel intense pretty quickly, so come out of it whenever you need a break.
From frog pose, shift your weight slightly forward and bring your toes together behind you, keeping your knees wide. Reach your arms out in front of you as far as you can, then settle your body into the floor between your knees.
Repeat this sequence as many times as you like.
Pigeon sequence (side of hips)
- Half lotus
- Pigeon/Extended pigeon
Don’t worry if your yoga pose looks a little different than what you see on Pinterest. You’re working with what your body is giving you today and that is perfectly enough. Concentrate on how it feels, on letting go of any tension in the hips, and focus on your breath.
For a little easier option, take the ankle to the opposite calf instead of stacking the ankle up on the opposite knee for half lotus. If you can't manage half lotus, sit cross-legged with one leg folded in front of the other.
In pigeon pose, extend your leg back behind you as much as you can, with your kneecap and all five toenails anchoring to the floor. You can remain upright, fold down to your elbows, or bring your forehead to the floor.
Sink down slowly, letting gravity do the work, then come back up and repeat on the other side.
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
This stretch is good for people who spend a lot of time sitting, as it helps stretch the muscles used in that position. It can also help improve flexibility in the core and leg muscles.
If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your neck, shoulders, or back, it is best to avoid doing this pose.
To do this pose:
- Lie on your stomach with your arms alongside your body.
- Bend your knees and reach back with your hands to grasp the outside of your ankles.
- Try to lift your shoulders and chest off the ground if you can, but don’t push beyond what’s comfortable.
- Keep your head looking forward while taking long, deep breaths.
- Try to hold for up to 30 seconds, then release.
- Repeat 1 to 2 times.
Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)
This stretch is good for people of all skill levels. It lengthens your spine, opens your hips, and builds muscle strength. It may also help relieve sciatica.
To do this pose:
- Kneel on the floor on your left knee. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the ground in front of you.
- Lengthen through your spine and out the crown of your head.
- Lift up your torso and arms. Or, you can extend your arms to the side, perpendicular to the floor.
- Gently push into your right hip.
- Try to hold this position for at least 30 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat on the opposite side.
Prevent your front knee from moving past your ankle, keeping your hips square by drawing your back hip forward.
Seated bends sequence (lower back, side of trunk)
- Head to knee forward bend
- Seated side bend
The following text is suggesting that you do not need to make contact with your knee, but to pretend as if that is the goal.
The seated side bend can feel a bit tough at first, but don't worry if you can't lean over very far. Instead of leaning to the side, try picturing your trunk curling over in a C shape. Notice how your body is being held up by the muscles and connective tissue in your side trunk, and see if you can't bend a little further each time.
Feel free to switch between these two postures, and don't forget to switch sides. Observe how one side feels compared to the other.
Spinal twist sequence
- Spinal curls
- Supine twist
Your spine is made up of 33 individual vertebrae, 17 of which are flexible and mobile. This final sequence is designed to give you the flexibility in your spine that you were born with.
As you curl your spine in and out, focus on each individual vertebrae moving one at a time. You may notice that you get ‘stuck' in certain areas. With each subsequent curl, see if that ‘stickiness' begins to loosen up. Complete several rounds of these curls before moving to the twist.
Wrap your arms around your knees and pull them close to your chest. Then let your legs fall to one side while keeping your shoulders level with the floor. The weight of your legs will help you sink deeper into the twist. When it feels good, switch sides.
Wide-angle seated forward bend (Upavistha Konasana)
This pose can help to open your hips and low back while also boosting flexibility in your hamstrings and calves.
To deepen the pose, tilt your pelvis forward by sitting on the edge of a cushion or block.
To do this pose:
- Sit on the floor with your legs open as far wide as they’ll go.
- Extend your arms overhead.
- Hinge at your hips to fold forward, walking your hands forward toward your feet.
- Hold this position for up to 1 to 2 minutes.
If you feel like your toes are pointing out to the sides, then try and bring your legs in closer so that they are facing straight up as if you were pressing the soles of your feet into a wall.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
This pose is good for all levels and stretches your shoulders, chest, and arms.
To do this pose:
- Position yourself in a comfortable seated position. Allow your spine to lengthen and your chest to open.
- Extend your left arm overhead, then bend your elbow so your fingers point down along your spine.
- Using your right hand, gently draw your left elbow over to the right, allowing your left hand to move further down your spine.
- If it’s comfortable, you can try bending your right arm upward along your spine to clasp your left hand.
- Remain in this pose for at least 30 seconds.
- Switch arms and do it on the other side.
The bottom line
Flexibility is important for physical health, but stress, age, lack of exercise, and improper posture can make muscles tight, limiting flexibility.
Yoga is an effective way of easing tension in your muscles and building flexibility. The key is to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of time you can hold a pose with the correct form.
