Lunges are an excellent stretch for the muscles of the hips, legs and even the feet. It is a stretch or position that is possible for many people despite having tight muscles or limited flexibility. Because it’s quite easy to
Firelog pose to stretch buttocks and glutes [video]
Firelog pose can be an excellent stretch for the glutes (buttocks) and outer hips. I find it particularly useful after a lot of cycling. The full version of the pose isn’t physically possible for many people because it requires that
Stretching the glutes after a long cycle
After my first multi-day mountain biking trip, my glutes (or buttocks) were in agony. They became tight both from working hard and also being pulled at the same time by my back muscles as I leaned forward on the bike.
Restorative yoga backbend to stretch shoulders, chest and neck [video]
I recently featured a deep active stretch for the shoulders that also stretches the muscles of the chest and sides of the body. However, my favourite way to stretch these muscles is through a restorative yoga backbend. Restorative yoga is
Getting a better hamstring stretch by moving your tailbone
I often talk about tipping your tailbone up or down in my weekly yoga classes. As I’ve written before, this cue is a way of helping you think about how to move your pelvis. For this post I’m focusing on
Deep shoulder stretch [video]
The muscles around the shoulders can feel chronically sore and tight – particularly across the upper back and along the neck. This can result from posture that’s slumped forward (often from sitting too long), as well as overuse of the
Other options for yoga poses not on the hands (strengthen the shoulders too)
These past few weeks many of the tips have focused on stretching the wrists and how to put pressure on them safely in yoga. It’s also good to give your wrists a rest. Sometimes not working the joints can allow
Stretching hands, wrists and elbows with gentle movements [video]
This simple movement, just like last week’s stretches, uses the fascia tissue connecting the hands and wrists to stretch the elbows and arms. Because this stretch tensions the nerve be gentle. Look for a mild feeling. On a scale of
Simple stretches for hands and wrists (for rock climbers and everyone else) – [video]
Wrists, elbows and shoulders can get chronically tight when we overuse and over-strengthen (like rock climbers) or when we repetitively use or just don’t use (anyone who spends too much time sitting) our hands and arms. There are a number
How to put weight or pressure on your hands [video]
There are many poses in yoga where we put pressure or body weight on our hands. Depending on how you do this, different muscles are used or not used. This will affect what muscles get stronger and weaker. And if