Need some stretches to get through a long day of work? Try these at home or at your desk! Swipe to see my favorite stretches that target the common areas of tension cause by sitting for too long (shoulders, hips, chest). Read more below to see the benefits of each posture! These are also great to do on a long flight!
1. Modified Gomukhasana Arms (Tricep Stretch):
Reach the right arm up towards the sky and hook the elbow and forearm behind the head while reaching the fingers towards the tail. Grab your right elbow with your left hand and stretch up and over to the left, elongating through the right side body and right tricep. Keep pulling the right elbow back in space as you lift it up and over to the left, which will also open up the front of the chest, unraveling hours of sitting and typing at a computer.
2. Parsva Urdhva Hastasana (Upward Salute Side Bend):
Firmly plant the feet finding the root to raise energy. On an inhale, float the arms up, and on the exhale keep the length as you begin to side bend on an upward diagonal. This stretch improves balance, gets some mobility and length in the spine, and tones the legs.
3. Bound Utkatasana Variation (Open-Hearted Chair Pose):
This stretch is great for a little hamstring and glute activation, which is nice after sitting a long time. The clasped position of the interlaced fingers behind the back opens the heart. Roll your shoulders back as you melt them away from your ears, lifting your hands off of your pelvis diagonally as you sink deeper into your chair.
4. Modified Natarajasana (Standing Quad Stretch):
This stretch is great for opening up the quads and hip flexors, which can get tight from sitting at a desk for a long time. Keep the knees glued together as you bend your heel to your butt while lifting both sides of the waist up to the sky.
5. Pada Hastasana (Standing Forward Fold with Feet Resting on Palms):
Toes should be aligned with the creases of the wrists. Make sure to bend the knees enough so that the bottom ribs are resting on the quadriceps. Keep pulling your hands energetically from underneath your feet while firmly planting your weight into the ball of your foot. Breath into the back to find space in the spine. This stretch is great for stretching out the hamstrings and back. It also reverses the weight that the pull of gravity places on our necks from holding our heads up all day long.
