Yoga for inflexible people
If you think you are too inflexible for yoga, think again! By far the most common excuse we hear for not trying yoga is, “I’m not flexible.” If your muscles are tight and your joints are inflexible this is all the more reason to begin to practice yoga. Inflexibility around our body is not a minor issue. There’s a danger in being inflexible. Poor flexibility can cause joint stiffness, muscle tightness that lead to injuries, lower back pain and other postural and health related problems.
Here are some suggested yoga poses for flexibility that will help you lengthen and stretch your muscles in a safe and effective way. Do these poses three times a week, taking five to 10 deep breaths or holding the pose for 30 – 60 seconds and see how it goes. As you progress hold poses 90 – 120 seconds. In this kind of practice, you’re maintaining the posture long enough to affect the plastic quality of your connective tissues and create structural changes that add up to a permanent increase in flexibility. Don’t forget to take deep breaths. Use each inhale to create space and each exhale to let go of any tension you might be holding onto.
With regular practice, you will find that your body begins to change quickly, and even more exciting, your mind will begin to open up as well. Once you commit to your yoga practice, you may even find that it wasn’t your body that was tight to start with—your inflexibility was all in your head!
Thread the needle
Stretches the chest, increases flexibility in shoulders and spine
Parsva Balasana (PAR-S-VA bah-LAHS-anna), also known as the Thread the Needle or Revolved Child Pose, is a simple posture that gently compresses the chest and opens the shoulders while calming the body. If you are dealing with chronic shoulder or back pain, this posture can help gently loosen the muscles and relieve tension. During this exercise, make sure to maintain a focus on your breathing.
Get on all fours or Table Pose. Place your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Point your fingertips to the top of your mat. Place your shins and knees hip-width apart. Inhale open up your chest to the right as you extend your right arm to shoulder height out to your side. On an exhalation, slide your right arm underneath your left arm with your palm facing up. Let your right shoulder come all the way down to the mat. Rest your right ear and cheek on the mat, then gaze toward your left.
Keep left hand where it is or crawl it a bit to the right, toward head if possible, to intensify the stretch. Breathe deeply here, hold for up to one minute. To release, press through your left hand and gently slide your right hand out. Return to Table Pose then switch sides then repeat the pose on the opposite side for the same length of time.
If you experience discomfort in your knees fold your mat or place a towel or blanket under your knees to pad them or get knee pads, if you have sensitive knees.
If you have weak wrist and your wrists hurt in the starting position, place your forearms on the floor, instead or start with your hands on foam yoga blocks.
Those with larger chests or stomachs, and women who are pregnant, can practice this pose at a wall, while standing:
- Face the wall, standing an arm’s distance away. Press your palms flat against the wall.
- Slide your right arm beneath your left arm and bring your right shoulder and ear to the wall then gaze toward your left. You may need to step closer to the wall to do this.
- Hold for up to one minute, and then repeat on the opposite side.
Downward facing dog
Stretches the back, hamstrings and shoulders, but can also build strength in the upper body.
Adho Mukha Svanasana also known as Downward-facing Dog. Begin on the floor with your knees directly under your hips and your hands slightly forward from your shoulders and internally rotate. Spread your fingers wide and press your hands evenly into the mat. Tuck your toes and raise your knees off the floor. Lift your hips all the way up as you drop your chest back towards your thighs. Keep your knees bent. Check that your feet are hip-width apart and that your toes and knees point straight ahead. Lengthen your tailbone to the ceiling, keeping your head between your arms (neck relaxed). Gaze at your toes through your legs. Feel the stretch through your back and hamstrings as you gently work to touch your heels to the ground.
Straighten your arms as much as you can. Lift the weight up out of your wrists by drawing your shoulders up and back. And then outwardly rotate your upper arms to feel a broadening across your upper back. Your body should look like an upside-down “V”. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
Modifications
- If your hips are tight, stay in the position for 2-3 breaths before bending and resting your knees on the mat and moving into Child’s Pose for 2-3 more breaths.
- for those with weak knees, bend your knees to release any tightness on them as well as your hamstrings.
- Those with weak wrists should place something under the heels of the hands to open the angle of the wrist. You could roll up another yoga mat or a blanket or towel.
Single leg forward bend with blocks
Increases flexibility in backs of legs
Get in Adho Mukha Svanasana, or Downward-Facing Dog with hands on blocks turned to medium height. Round right knee to nose and step right foot between hands for a low lunge. Lift hips up and start to lengthen both legs (they don’t have to come fully straight). From here, take the blocks to the highest setting if that gives you more space. Hands stay on the blocks on either side of right leg. Spin left heel down so left foot is at a 45-degree angle, and square off hips. Breathe here. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and then repeat with left foot forward.
Cobra pose
Chest opener and stretch the entire body and strengthen the spine
Cobra Pose — Bhujangasana (boo-jahn-GAHS-uh-nuh) — is a beginning backbend in yoga that helps to prepare the body for deeper backbends. Begin lying face down on the floor, legs together, top of the feet on the floor and arms at your sides. Place your hands under your shoulders with your fingers pointing toward the top of the mat. Hug your elbows in to the sides of your body. Press the tops of the feet and thighs and the pubic bone into the floor. Inhale as you gently lift your head and chest off the floor.
Keep your lower ribs on the floor. Squeeze your glutes to protect you lower back. Draw your shoulders back and your heart forward, but do not crunch your neck. Keep your shoulders dropped away from your ears. Keep the gaze toward the floor or stretch your head and bring your gaze up. Begin to straighten your arms, lifting your chest off the floor. Press the tops of your thighs down firmly into the floor. This is Low Cobra.
Do not push yourself away from the floor, forcing the backbend. Instead, allow the lift to come as a natural extension of your spine. There should be almost no weight on your hands — you should be able to lift your palms off the mat for a moment while in the pose. Hold for 15 or 30 seconds.
Camel pose
Chest opener and stretch the entire body and strengthen the spine
Camel Pose — Ustrasana (ooh-STRAHS-uh-nuh) — is a backbend that stretches the whole front of the body. Begin on your knees (hip-width apart) on the floor. Rest your hands on your lower back or upper buttocks with your fingers pointing to the floor. Lengthen your tailbone down toward the floor and widen the back of your pelvis. Lean back, with your chin slightly tucked toward your chest.
You can stay here, keep your chest and neck lifted to avoid compressing your lower back, or continue to go further, reaching out your fingertips to rest on the soles of your feet or if it is difficult to reach your feet, place your hands on yoga blocks positioned outside of each foot. Engage your glutes to protect your lower back. Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds. To release, bring your hands back to your front hips. Inhale, lead with your heart, and lift your torso by pushing your hips down toward the floor. Your head should come up last. Rest in Child’s Pose (Balasana) or Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Modifications
Increases flexibility in hips, regardless of Achilles’ tendon flexibility
Roll up a yoga mat as tight as you can, place heels on the mat so that feet are as wide as it, toes angled outward, and get in a standing forward fold. Bend knees, releasing hips toward the ground, hovering above at whatever height feels good for you. Keep knees in line with ankles. Take elbows inside of thighs, lightly pressing them out, and bring hands together in prayer at the center of your chest. Keep your spine long. Breathe here. Hold for 30 – 60 seconds.
Seated forward bend with blocks and strap
Increases flexibility in legs and back
Sit up on a block or blanket with legs long and together in front of you. Take a strap and loop it around feet. Keeping knees slightly bent, use each inhale to lengthen through spine and each exhale to release a bit more forward, keeping length in belly and not rounding spine. When you feel like you are where you want to stay, release neck and breathe. Hold for 30 seconds.
Eye of the needle pose
Relieves stiffness in the outer hips and lower back
To begin, lie on the floor on your back. Lift your legs and cross one ankle over the opposite thigh. You’ll probably already be able to feel the stretch through your hip. You may want to stay with just the ankle crossed, but if you’re looking for a deeper stretch, go ahead and lift the bottom leg off the ground slightly, wrapping your arms around your hamstring for support. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
Cobbler Pose (Baddha Konasana)
Hips and inner thighs opener
If your hips are too tight, make sure to sit up on a folded blanket or a block to raise your seat. Bend the knees and bring the soles of the feet together, keeping your back straight. Allow the knees to drop out to the side and place your hands on your feet or ankles. Gently draw in your lower abdominal muscles to give support to your spine. Keep your spine long and your chest open. Hold for 30 seconds.
Flexibility helps to:
Avoid Injuries – Flexible muscles make everyday activities easier on your body and may decrease your risk of certain injuries including: muscle and disc strains that occur when turning over in bed or getting out of bed; shoulder tweaks that result from doing tasks on the job that involve lifting or reaching; back aches due to transitioning to standing from sitting, bending down to pick something up, or even walking up and down stairs. Common behaviours, like hunching over the computer, can shorten some muscles. That, along with the natural loss of muscle elasticity that occurs with aging, can set you up so any quick or awkward motion could stretch your muscles beyond their limit, resulting in a strain or a tear.
Enhance sports performance – When you stretch a muscle, you lengthen the tendons, or muscle fibres, that attach it to the bone. The longer these fibres are, the more you can increase the muscle in size when you do your strength training. That means that a more flexible muscle has the potential to become a stronger muscle, too. In turn, building strong muscle fibres may boost your metabolism and your fitness level: (i.e. better arm and shoulder extension and rotation for swimmers, tennis and basketball players, longer strides for runners, deeper knee bends and hip flexion for skiers) as well as to parry blows that come with strong athletic endeavors.
Improve your posture – When you focus on increasing muscular flexibility your posture is likely to improve. Stretching out your body allows you to have proper alignment and correct any imbalances.
Increase blood flow and energy levels – Dynamic stretches will increase circulation and nutrient flow throughout the body. Thus, increasing the body’s energy levels.
Travel comfortably – Improve your flexibility and ultimately make you more comfortable while travelling. You’ll be able to sit in many different positions and do things with your body in confined spaces you otherwise could not do.
For practical instruction on the above poses, join Nerry’s give-what-you-can community classes with the goal of making yoga more accessible for everyone. Nerry also teaches tailored private sessions for personalised instruction based on your health, body type, fitness goals and lifestyle.
