I have 3 questions for you before you start ????

  1. Have you ever felt complexed by your lack of flexibility?
  2. Do you feel discouraged when you see that you have trouble touching your toes with your hands when you are standing?
  3. Do you have envied dancers or gymnasts seeing all they can do with their bodies?

If you answered “yes” to these questions at least once, then this article will help you a lot!

Like you, I went there and thanks to Yoga, I could develop my flexibility incredibly!

I present to you the 5 postures of Yoga which helped me the most to strengthen my flexibility.

First of all, I want to dispel a frequent misunderstanding :

Do you think that you have to be flexible to practice Yoga?

Let me start by telling you a little personal anecdote …

A SPORTING PAST …

Even though I practiced a lot of sport activities being younger, including 7 years of classical dance, 3 years of gymnastics and 3 years of modern-jazz, I quickly lost my flexibility from the beginning of my studies …

At that time, I practiced a sport at the bottom: the running! I started with short distances (5 km), then I gradually increased (10 km), relay marathons. Until the day I was able to run a half marathon. I loved running a lot at that time. The only problem is that this sport has considerably muscled the legs but at the expense of my flexibility …

THEN I DID A SEDENTARY JOB THAT DEFINITELY WIPED MY FLEXIBILITY (AND MY WELL-BEING TOO!)

After my studies, I worked for 2 years as an executive in an office . And there, I did much less sport, for lack of time, motivation and envy . And I literally saw my body shrivel! I felt that I was sinking, that my back was rounding, that my shoulders rolled forward and that I had lost my tone and my senses.

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I was seriously starting to be like this:

It is not with great pleasure that I speak again of this time, but I imagine that my testimony can serve and that, perhaps, you recognize you yourself also in this description!

THEN I DISCOVER YOGA AND I REGAIN MY FLEXIBILITY GRADUALLY

Fortunately, the year of my 22 years, I discovered Yoga! My first Ashtanga discovery course was rough: I was stiff as a picket and I was unable to do most of the postures . Fortunately, I started to practice regularly, then almost daily, and my body gradually regained its flexibility of yesteryear . I can even say today that I am even more flexible than before .

I ALSO ENJOY MANY OTHER BENEFITS OF YOGA …

Then I also discovered another effect of Yoga that I did not even suspect: not only did it make me physically flexible, but it also makes me mentally more flexible!

It’s just amazing! I do not take the little worries of everyday life as seriously as before because I can take a step back on a lot of situations . And in addition, Yoga has helped me to surround myself with positive and inspiring people and to avoid the company of people who sucked my energy and discouraged me in my dreams and in my way of life.

IT’S YOUR TURN TO RELAX!

Today, I really want to share with you the amazing benefits that Yoga has had on my life . I present you with 5 yoga postures that will help you (re) gain flexibility, both in your body and in your mind.

Important warning : Do not practice Yoga without medical advice and always start with a teacher. Do not take the risk of hurting yourself, or worse, hurting yourself . This article helps you in your practice but I take no responsibility for your practice.

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Respect and listen to your body every moment!

Another small warning: be careful! I do not present you a miracle method that will make you flexible in 30 seconds! To achieve your goal, you will need to mobilize 2 qualities: patience and consistency .

You will need to practice regularly and leave time for your body !

Some thoughts on flexibility

Talking about flexibility means talking about adaptation, taking into account the context, listening to our needs.

To achieve a Yoga posture, it’s like in life, you have to find exactly the right mix between doing (commitment) and letting go (letting go) .

If we try to force, then our body shines and we may hurt or stagnate. Our body and mind, instead of evolving, freeze like ice cubes in the freezer …

“It quails here !!!!! “

We come to nothing by force, obstinacy and tension . On the contrary, we must privilege patience and gentleness to relax areas of tension and open spaces in our body.

BREATHE DEEP ????

Breathing in our practice is an incredibly valuable indicator to help us know how our bodies evolve in every posture .

Indeed, having a breathlessness or panting breath gives you a very clear clue and invites you to “give slack” in the posture and to go less .

The breath also helps us, in the postures, to relax, to relax, to find the balance. All we need to savor our practice and reap the benefits .

MORNING MORNING ????

Our muscles, our joints, our tendons, are exactly like us: still a little sleepy and numb. This is to give them time to regain flexibility gradually, without haste .

And yet morning practice is often the best of the day! Indeed, it immediately sets the tone of the day and brings quality and well-being!

Why are we less flexible in the morning?

How to use the special flexibility sequence

You will discover the 5 postures in the form of a sequence , you can either practice them all following each other, or practice them alone.

Before starting your practice, I strongly recommend that you warm up by moving your head, wrists, shoulders, arms, back, knees and feet.

Then you can practice for example 3 to 5 sun salutations to warm up your body in its entirety before starting the practice of postures of flexibility.

Throughout the practice, remember to breathe! If possible using Ujjayi .

Note: All Yoga postures develop flexibility, however, some postures will greatly help you improve the flexibility of some “targeted” parts of your body. This is the case of the 5 postures that I selected for you here.

Without further ado, let’s go!

Posture # 1: the dog upside down => flexibility of the whole body

BENEFITS

  • Make the body work as a whole
  • Softens the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, stretches the arches of the feet and hands
  • Stretches, tones and lengthens the spine

CONS-INDICATIONS

  • Wrist weakness and / or tunnel carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Shoulder weakness
  • Diarrhea
  • Hypertension
  • Any affection, infection or inflammation of the eyes
  • Strong headaches
  • Advanced pregnancy

Posture # 2: the dog’s head up => flexibility of the lower back and the front of the body

BENEFITS

  • Open the heart, chest and lungs
  • Stretches and softens the upper back and the entire front of the body

CONS-INDICATIONS

  • Lumbar pains
  • Pregnancy

Posture # 3: the forceps => flexibility of the lower back and the back of the legs

BENEFITS

  • Softens and tones the spine,
  • Stretches and strengthens the back of the legs (hamstrings), hips and lower back

CONS-INDICATIONS

  • Inflammation or recent or chronic injury to the back
  • Acute sciatica (with inflammation)
  • Appendicitis,
  • Pregnancy

Posture # 4: shoemaker => flexibility of hips and knees

 

BENEFITS

  • Move the area of ​​your pelvis, rotate your hips, stretch the muscles of your hips and legs, and increase flexibility and elasticity
  • Helps you prepare sitting postures like 1/2 lotus or lotus

CONS-INDICATIONS

  • Injuries to the hips or knees

Posture # 5: cow’s head => opening and flexibility of the shoulders

BENEFITS

  • Opens, relaxes and strengthens the mobility of the shoulders, knees and hips

CONS-INDICATIONS

  • Injuries to the arms, hands and legs