I would wager that most of you reading this know that stretching is very beneficial. Daily stretching can do wonders for comfortable movement. Stretching does not have to be a time consuming thing. I may agree that longer sessions of stretching might be more beneficial than shorter ones, but a quick stretch is better than nothing. Also, if done daily a 5 minute stretch session could really help.
And when I say “help” I mean help with moving throughout life more comfortably. Of course, there are many people that have many issues that could be exacerbated by some moves so please keep in mind that I am not giving medical advice and that you need to keep your own body’s situation in mind.
With all of that said here is a great stretch that can reach multiple areas.
Here are quick instructions with * adding more.
-Kneel down and bring one leg out in front, whole foot on the ground.* (Half kneeling.)
-Keep the hip of the “down leg” in alignment above the knee. Activate the glutes by tightening or pushing forward a bit.** Add an “additional” stretch by lifting the arm and bending to the side of the front leg.***
-Remember to lengthen the spine and keep the “up” arm shoulder relaxed.
*Stability can be obtained by moving the front leg away from the midline of the body, by turning the foot of the front leg in, or by pulling the front leg’s knee in toward the body. Also one could use a block, furniture, or a wall to stabilize.
The foot of the “down” knee can be flat (top of foot on the floor) or with toes “curled”.
**The stretch is happening in the front of the body of the kneeling leg. I say “front” of the body because it is not just in the leg, but also it is not really the “front” of the body it more of an internal stretch through the psoas.
***When you lift the arm the stretch also goes through the side of the body.
It targets multiple areas that can really benefit from being flexible. The main area being stretched is the psoas, hip flexors, the side body, and the ankle. If you curl the toes (of the down leg) then you would be stretching through the bottom of the foot (like in a toe squat).
We do this often in my classes. Do you stretch?
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