Stretch your stresses away. Hold each stretch for 30 seconds to 1 minute each side. Work your way up to a 1 minute hold. Remember to breath deeply into the stretch, inhaling in through the nose and out through the mouth. I tell my students to let gravity do its thing here and fully give into the earth and relax into the stretch. 

 

 

Stretch 1: Happy Baby Pose – keeping your sacrum on the floor, grab hands on outside edge of feet and separate the shins. Amazing to release the lower spine, hips, and any compression in the spine. 

 

 

Stretch 2: Figure 4 Stretch – Place your right foot over your left knee, thread the arms through and hold onto your left knee, keeping the back of your neck on the floor, not letting your chin push forward. Repeat other side. Amazing for releasing the outer hip and lower back. 

 

Stretch 3: Quad stretch – Start on your stomach, carefully pull one foot in towards your hips. Turn your palm around so your fingers also point towards your hips. Remember to breath in this pose! This will also open your chest, sternum and shoulders and reverse the endless amounts of sitting and slouching. 

 

Stretch 4: Pinky to pinky ragdoll stretch – Start standing with feet hip distance apart, arms by your sides. Tuck your chin into your chest, and slowly make your way all the way down into a forward fold so that your head is below your hips, but your legs are still straight and feet are firmly pressing into the ground. Hands can just relax down. Use blocks if you can’t touch the floor. Then carefully take your right leg and tuck it under your left so your pinky toe is touching your other pinky toe.  You can shake your head yes and no to get even more release in the neck. Breath and relax the shoulders. Amazing for releasing hamstrings, lower back, outer thighs, feet, calf and neck.