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- After Your Home Workout, Relax Tight Muscles With This 10-Minute Stretching Routine
After Your Home Workout, Relax Tight Muscles With This 10-Minute Stretching Routine
by
jenny sugar
Getty / LumiNola / Yuri Arcurs Productions
Now that I’ve been exercising at home, my workouts aren’t nearly as long or intense as they were when I was working out at my CrossFit gym. I’m actually really enjoying this time to listen to my body and do the exercises I want to do. Best of all, since I’m not commuting back and forth to my gym 30 minutes a day, I’m using part of that time to stretch after my workout. Here’s the 10-minute stretching session I’ve been doing to target my entire body.
While stretching, I really try to focus on closing my eyes, relaxing my muscles, deepening my breath, and using this time as a form of moving meditation. I hold each pose for five deep breaths, which is about 30 seconds. By the time the 10 minutes is up, I feel so relaxed and mentally ready to tackle the rest of my day. I also find that stretching is helping to relieve any muscle tension or soreness the next day. After your home workout, slip off your sweaty sneakers and socks, and enjoy these 10 minutes to yourself.
Related: Holy Tight Hamstrings! This Yoga Sequence Will Loosen Those Right Up
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Butterfly
- Bend your knees, and bring the soles of your feet together.
- Rest your hands on your feet, or to deepen the stretch, bring your hands underneath your calves and use your upper body to pull your torso and head toward the floor.
- Enjoy this hip stretch for five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Seated Straddle
- From Butterfly, extend your legs out into a wide straddle.
- Inhale to lengthen your spine, and exhale to slowly fold forward as far as you can with a flat back, making sure your toes and knees are pointing straight up.
- Rest your hands on your feet, your legs, or the floor in front of you.
- Hold for five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
1-Legged Seated Straddle
- While in the seated straddle position, walk your hands over to your right leg.
- Try to bring each shoulder on either side of your thigh.
- Rest your hands on the floor or on your leg.
- After five breaths, walk your hands over to your left leg for another five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Head to Knee
- From a straddle position, bend your left knee.
- Fold over your right leg. Rest your hands on the floor on either side of your leg or on your shin, or wrap your hands around your right foot.
- Stay here for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Happy Baby Pose
- Roll over and lie on your back.
- Bend both knees and hold onto the outside edges of your flexed feet with your hands. Keep your arms on the outsides of your legs.
- Gently use your upper-body strength to equally press both knees to the floor below your armpits.
- Stay like this for five deep breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Figure 4
- From Happy Baby, release hold of your feet and place your left ankle on your right thigh above your knee. See the shape of the number four? It is there, just upside down.
- Reach your left hand through the open space created by your left leg, and place both hands on your right shin. Slowly bend your right knee toward your chest. You should feel a stretch on the outside of your left hip.
- After five breaths, repeat on the other side.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Spinal Twist
- Bend your knees into your chest, and extend your arms out in T position.
- Slowly lower both knees to the left. Rest them on the ground, and turn your head to the right.
- Hold here for at least five breaths, feeling your spine lengthen and twist. You may even hear some “cracks.”
- Use your abs to lift your knees back to center, and roll them to the other side.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson / Louisa Larson Photography 2013
Half Wheel
- From the Spinal Twist, place your feet flat on the floor. Walk your heels as close as you can to your tush.
- Raise your hips up, and place your hands on either side of your lower back. Rock your weight from side to side, so you can pull your shoulder blades closer together.
- Stay here for five deep breaths, actively pressing your feet into the floor to lift your hips up and increase the stretch in your torso and neck.
- Gently lower your bum back to the ground, and hug your knees into your chest.
POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone
Seated Forward Bend
- Roll up, and straighten your legs out in front of you.
- Slowly hinge at your hips, lowering your torso toward your thighs. Maintain a straight back, and fold as far as you need to feel a nice stretch in your lower back and hamstrings. Don’t worry about folding your body completely in half, unless this is comfortable for you.
- Stay like this for five deep breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Benjamin Stone
Wide Squat Reach
- From Seated Forward Bend, come into a Wide Squat.
- Lower your right shoulder as far as you can underneath your right shin, reaching your fingers out to the side.
- Put some weight into your right palm, so you can shift weight back into your heels and balance equally on both feet.
- Reach your left arm into the air, gazing toward your lifted hand to encourage your spine to twist a little more.
- Stay like this for five deep breaths. Then repeat on the other side for another five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Open Lizard
- From Wide Squat Reach, step your right leg behind you, coming into a deep lunge. Lower your right knee to the floor, and rest your hands on the ground under your shoulders.
- Slowly lower your left knee to the right so you’re resting on the outside of your flexed left foot. Keep your arms straight, pressing your chest forward to increase the stretch.
- Hold like this for five breaths, then repeat on the other side.
POPSUGAR Photography / Kathryna Hancock
Cobra
- From Open Lizard, lie on your belly and extend your arms out in front of you.
- Keeping your legs and pelvis grounded, slowly walk your hands toward your chest, keeping a slight bend in your elbows. Walk your hands in until you feel a nice stretch in your abs.
- Relax your shoulders away from your ears, and lengthen your neck. If it feels OK, lower your head back between your shoulder blades for a nice stretch in your chest and neck.
- Stay here for five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Camel
- From Cobra, shift your weight back and stand on your shins.
- Reach your right hand back toward your right heel, then your left hand toward your left heel. Your hands are there for balancing support, so don’t lean all your weight into them.
- Shift weight forward into your knees to increase the stretch in your belly and chest.
- Lower your head behind you, and stay here for five breaths.
POPSUGAR Photography / Louisa Larson
Child's Pose
- From Camel, sit back on your heels and lie your torso over your thighs. Try to lengthen your neck and spine by drawing your ribs away from your tailbone and the crown of your head away from your shoulders.
- Rest your arms beside your legs with palms facing up, or extend your arms out in front of you.
- Stay here for five breaths.