In her song, Dance Like Yo Daddy, Meghan Trainor sings, “Simon says go touch your nose, Meghan says touch your toes, but like, I still can’t touch my toes.” Can you relate?
Flexibility. It’s not just for gymnasts, yoga masters, and cheerleaders. Touching your toes may not be a goal of yours. Maybe you want more mobility, a straighter posture, and better muscle coordination? Or perhaps you want to reduce your risk of injury? Flexibility can help with all of that.
Today, we’ll talk about different yoga poses for increased flexibility so you can enjoy all the physical benefits— and the emotional ones, too. The saying goes, “no pain, no gain,” but we know that when you have no pain, you’ll gain a whole lot of happiness!
Yoga poses for upper body flexibility
Did you know that increasing your upper body flexibility through yoga poses will help decrease the burden on your joints and bones? Use these two yoga moves to improve your posture and reduce body aches.
Puppy
Arms, shoulders + chest
With how they flip and flop all over the place, puppies have an incredible range of motion. Take a cue from the puppy play pose to boost your upper body flexibility.
Thread the needle
Upper back, neck, shoulders + chest
This move will help your upper body “sew” much!
Yoga poses for lower body flexibility
Want to lengthen your leg muscles and improve blood flow to eliminate waste products in your blood? These three yoga positions for lower body flexibility will help you accomplish your goals.
Child’s pose
Back, hips, thighs + ankles
Great news! Everyone’s favorite yoga position is an incredible way to boost your flexibility!
Pyramid pose
Hips + hamstrings
If you want the posture of Cleopatra, try the pyramid pose for maximum flexibility.
Downward facing dog
Hips, calves + hamstrings
Man’s (or woman’s) best friend comes through again with a pose that gives your lower body a great stretch.
Yoga poses for ab flexibility
Want to improve your posture, reduce lower back pain, and decrease your risk of injury? Increasing your ab flexibility will help you increase your range of motion safely and comfortably.
Cat-cow
Abs + lower back
MEOW can you improve your ab flexibility? MOOve your body in the cat-cow pose!
Cobra
Abs + hip flexors
Ssssssso you want to increase your ab flexibility? Try the cobra pose to stretch your abs.
Yoga poses for full body flexibility
Now that you’ve learned flexibility exercises for targeted areas of your body, let’s discover a few full-body flexibility yoga poses.
Upward facing dog
Chest, abs, hip flexors, quads + ankles
Upward facing dog is the third canine-related yoga pose for flexibility, which just goes to show that Fido might be your best flexibility role model!
Wheel
Shoulders, chest, abs, hip flexors + quads
This pose is “wheelie” good for total body flexibility.
Even if you’re not striving to be able to do the splits, improving your flexibility should be a vital part of every fitness regime. Want a little support on your journey to increased flexibility? Join our Enhanced Stretch class and work toward a life with fewer aches and pains. See you on the mat!
