If you ask people why they exercise, most will say to stay healthy, keep fit, or because it makes them feel good. https://www.verywellfit.com/improve-your-flexibility-with-yoga-3567220

1. YOGA YOGA AND YOUR HEALTH
Improve Your Flexibility With These Yoga Poses
By Ann Pizer
Updated April 19, 2018
PRINT
If you ask people why they exercise, most will say to stay healthy, keep t, or because it makes them feel good. Not a lot
will mention exibility as a goal, but it's a key part of maintaining your health and avoiding injury, especially as you age.
The stretching you do in yoga is a great way to improve your exibility. It's a commonly held misconception that you have
to already be exible to do yoga. In fact, the opposite is true: doing yoga regularly is a sure way to become more exible.
The poses below target the three major muscles groups where most people are lacking exibility: hamstrings, hips, and
shoulders. These three areas tend to get even more tight from sitting for long periods or even from other types of exercise,
like running.
Don't be in a rush to get through these poses. Many times you can feel several di erent phases of opening as you stay in a
pose for longer. Don't expect overnight changes, however. For best results, do your stretches daily. The following poses are
intended to give you some options to t your current level of exibility.
The Hamstrings
The muscles running along the backs of your thighs are the hamstrings. Most people are pretty tight in this area, but it's
an important place to stretch because tight hamstrings can cause back pain among other types of discomfort. Forward
bends are a great way to loosen this area.
Share Pin Email
Advertisement
Advertisement
MENU

2. The Hips
Hip exibility is complicated because there are so many muscles packed into this small area. Poses that stretch the hip
exors, including the psoas, iliacus, and parts of the quadriceps and glutes, are a good way to accomplish greater freedom
of movement in the hips.
The Shoulders
Like the hamstrings and hips, shoulders are another area that gets tight from too much riding in cars and sitting at desks.
If possible, take stretch breaks at work to avoid serious repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Reclined Big Toe Pose - Supta Padangustasana

3. Ben Goldstein

4. Using a yoga strap around your raised foot makes this pose accessible to even those with the tightest hamstrings (you can
also use a regular old belt is you don't have a strap handy). Let the head of your femur settle into the hip socket as you
stretch the leg so that both hips stay grounded on the oor.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Standing Forward Bend - Uttanasana

5. Ben Goldstein

6. A standing forward bend is a simple way to stretch your hamstrings. Try to keep your hips over your ankles; most people
have a tendency to let their hips creep too far back. Microbend your knees to avoid hyperextension. A nice variation is to
take hold of opposite elbows and let your torso hang.
Triangle Pose - Utthita Trikonasana

7. Ben Goldstein

8. For this pose, straighten your front leg as much as possible, even if it means your hand can't reach the oor. Use a yoga
block under your bottom hand if you have one. It's better to put pressure on the block than into your leg by leaning on it.
Over time, use your developing core strength to take some of the weight out of your hand.
More
Seated Wide-Legged Straddle - Upavistha Konasana

9. Ben Goldstein

10. A wide-legged position is a good way to stretch the insides of the thighs. If you are more open, you can take a forward bend
here, but try to do it with a long spine instead of rounding your back. It's also just ne to stay sitting up if that's a better t
for you.
Eye of the Needle - Sucirandhrasana

11. Eye of the needle is a great pose for people with tight hips because it's very customizable. Start just by crossing one ankle
onto the opposite thigh. This might be enough for some people. If you want to go further, lift the bottom leg o the ground
incrementally. Stop when you nd the place where you feel a good stretch but you're not in pain.
More
Cobbler's Pose - Baddha Konasana
Ben Goldstein

12. In cobbler's pose, gravity does the hip opening work for you. This is a particularly good pose to stay in for a few minutes at
a time. If you nd this position extremely uncomfortable, there are a few things your can try.
Sitting up on a folded blanket can help because it raises the hips above the knees. Placing a block under each knee for
support is also an option, but make sure you lower the blocks incrementally over time so that you see your progress.
More
Pigeon - Eka Pada Rajakapotasana
Ben Goldstein

13. Ben Goldstein

14. Pigeon is an amazing hip opener, but it can be a tough one for people with very tight hips. The best thing to do in this case
is to use plenty of props. Eventually, your butt comes to the ground on the forward leg side. If that's not happening, use as
much padding as is necessary to bring the oor up to meet your behind. Once you feel supported, see if you can begin to
forward bend. That added pressure on the front leg can open you up even more. But take it gradually if you are very tight to
avoid injury.
More
Eagle Pose - Garudasana

15. Ben Goldstein

16. Eagle works on both shoulder and hip exibility, with the legs targeting the hard-to-get-to outer hips and the arms giving
you a great stretch across the upper back.
If the twisted up legs are throwing you for a loop, just do the arm position while seated in any way that's comfortable (see
here for eagle in a chair). Be sure to do the pose with each arm on top in turn.
More
Bridge Pose - Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

17. Ben Goldstein

18. The way to get a good shoulder stretch in bridge pose is to make sure to tuck each shoulder under after you have lifted your
hips up. If the back-bending aspect of the pose seems too intense, you can get a similar stretch in a supported bridge by
doing the same shoulder-tucking action and interlacing your ngers around the block.
Cow Face Pose - Gomukhasana

19. Don't worry if you can't clasp your hands behind your back in cow face pose. It's really not about that, so use anything
handy (belt, strap, towel, t-shirt) to make up the distance between the hands. Try to send your breath into any areas of
tightness you feel.
More
Ben Goldstein

20. ARTICLE
Improve Your Hamstring Flexibility With Daily Poses and
Yoga Straps
LIST
How Can You Open Your Hips With Yoga?

21. LIST
30+ Beginner Yoga Poses That Aren’t Intimidating
LIST
What Are the Best Ways to Stretch Your Hamstrings
With Yoga?
LIST
Master List of All the Seated Yoga Poses We Have
LIST
14 Pose Yoga Sequence Just for Swimmers
LIST
Do These Yoga Poses Every Day
LIST
10 Essential Yoga Poses for Beginners

22. ARTICLE
19 Yoga Stretches That Will Open Up Your Hips
LIST
10 Amazing Stretches to Help You Warm up for Yoga
LIST
Yoga Poses That Help Cyclists Stretch Out
LIST
Evening Yoga Poses to Help You Wind Down
LIST
Runners' Special: 8 Yoga Poses That Stretch Your Quads
ARTICLE
How to Do Marichyasana A Yoga Pose

23. LIST
Try These Important Stretches for Your Lower Body
ARTICLE
Yoga Poses That Will Improve Your Arm Strength
Daily Healthy Eating Tips to Your Inbox
Follow Us
Fitness
Healthy Eating
Weight Loss
About Us Advertise
Privacy Policy Careers
Contact Terms of Use
Enter your email SIGN UP