Our FAVOURITE yoga moves – Part 2
Yoga… Oh how we love thee, let us count the ways!
Welcome to Part 2 of our all time favourite yoga moves. We hope you enjoyed the first set of poses, and managed to really give them a go over the last week. We’re adding to the list this week – more of our favourite poses – no equipment just simple moves you can even do in front of the telly! Just roll off the couch and get moving because when you move more, you feel better. It really is that simple.
Tree pose
Such a good way to start your practice, tree pose is just lovely. It’s usually fairly simple even for those challenged in the flexibility department, but it requires some balance and concentration. The kind of concentration that immediately stops your brain from thinking about to-do lists and schedules, and immediately gets you reconnecting with your body after a long day of being stuck in your head.
Stand with your legs hip-width apart.
Shift your weight to your right leg, lift your left foot and place it on the inside of your knee or higher up the thigh.
Bring your knee out to the side for external rotation in the hip.
Maintain your balance and push your palms together at chest level with your elbows out to the sides.
3 Reps / 15 s hold.
Repeat on both sides.
Spine flexion with rotation
This is lovely for tight hamstrings and low backs but much more importantly, this simple move gives us the kind of gentle stretch and glide that our nervous system loves. It helps us gently wring out all of the waste products and pump in a fresh supply of clean fluids that helps soothe sensitive and irritated nerves. Perfect for those prone to sciatica.
Standing feet hip-width apart, exhale to curl forward, tucking chin to chest with your arms hanging loosely down.
Bend forward at the waist and allow both knees to bend to lower you down, reaching your hands toward the floor.
Raise one hand up towards the ceiling and turn your head to look up toward your hand.
Simultaneously straighten the knee on the same side as you reach around and up.
Hold this position for a moment or two before bringing your arm back down towards the floor, softening your knee.
Repeat the movement on the other side.
At the end of the set, return to the upright position by pushing through your legs and uncurling your spine.
Keep your chin to chest until you return to the upright position, then slowly unfold your neck to look ahead.
3 sets of 10 reps
Happy baby pose
Happy baby is a gentle all-in-one stretch for the hips, low back and pelvic floor and can really help with elasticity and flexibility of the hips and inner thighs. Much like child’s pose it can be a deeply relaxing pose but it can be a little uncomfortable for those prone to impingement pain in the hips and groin. Adjusting the hand hold and angle of the thigh will usually get around this.
Lie on your back.
Hug your knees into your chest.
Bring your knees wider apart.
Reaching to hold the outer edges of your feet, draw the knees down towards the floor, underneath your armpits.
At the same time, press your tailbone down toward the floor so you get a nice stretch in the groin area and the inner thighs. Try to keep the neck relaxed and avoid letting the chin jut out.
3 Reps / 30-60 s hold.
Resting frog pose
The resting frog is amazing for loosening tight hips and depending upon the arm positioning, it can also do wonders for relaxing the upper back and reversing that slouch. That said – it can be a little tricky for beginners so there are a number of ways to regress this exercise to get all of the benefits, sans the stress. The simplest way to regress the frog is to start with child’s pose with wider legs, that should get you on the road to doing the full frog in the future.
Kneel on the floor and sit back on your heels.
Bringing your knees wide apart and slide your feet apart so that your feet are the same width apart as your knees.
Your lower legs should be parallel to each other.
Sit your hips back onto your knees and rest on your elbows or with your chest on the floor, forehead resting on crossed forearms.
3 Reps / 15-30 s hold.
Get moving and give it a go
We hope you enjoyed the first part of this blog and that you’re inspired to give these poses a go too. Remember this should be about gentle movements that feel good for you and your body so take is easy and do what feels comfortable for you. Remember to never force any position or pose, it takes time for our bodies to adapt to new movements and our bodies will often give us more when we work with them.
Brought to you by our friends at Physitrack
All the images and exercise instructions here are from our good friends at physitrack – we use their app to program and monitor home exercise programs for our patients and it’s ace. It means you can never forget or get the exercise wrong and I don’t have to draw stick figures that make everyone look like a puffin (that really happens…). It also means we can program exercises that suit each individual based on their needs and their interests… prosthetic limbs, wheelchair assisted, weightlifting, pilates, yoga- we can do all of it and more thanks to Physitrack.
