Posted by Flexibility is one of the key symbols that determine good physical health. Many people keep exercise to keep themselves healthy and fit but when it comes to flexibility. Flexibility defines a major part of your health, vitality and keeping the body free from injury especially as you age. As you age your body loses its agility and sedentary lifestyle, improper posture and prolong sitting make it worse. Yoga is the best way when it comes to enhancing your flexibility and overall mobility. There are many benefits of yoga but enhanced flexibility is one of that. From various backbend to headstand and twisting yoga pose are designed in such a way that increases flexibility with stretch in muscles utilizing it to maximum length. Practicing yoga daily targets your major muscles group that lack flexibility such as hips, hamstring and shoulder muscles.
How yoga helps in improving flexibility
When it comes to yoga it is much more than stretching exercise with its special emphasis on a different form of yoga poses that address every major muscle group and the deep-seated tissues which no exercise can target. Yoga is all about attention, awareness, and alignment. When you are in a pose the attention is the precise way to reap the maximum benefit of each pose and awareness means you are fully present in that practice. When it comes to practicing yoga pose a perfect alignment is the most precise way to avoid any injury and to maximize its benefit. When it comes to alignment practicing under a good yoga teacher in a yoga teacher training program is the most ideal way to start your yoga practice. Here you will receive expert guidance in a most amicable manner on how to boost your flexibility and usage of props.
Best yoga poses to increase flexibility
Janu Sirsasana
Sit on your yoga mat and stretch both legs in front of you. Bend your left leg and press the heel of your left leg into your inner thigh of the right leg. Inhale and as you inhale stretch your arm above your head. As you exhale bend your upper torso from hips over your right leg and hold onto the outstretched foot. Hold on to the pose for 30 seconds and then release and switch to the left leg.
Benefits
Janu Sirsasana is the best yoga pose to improve flexibility in your back, hips, and thighs. It also increases blood circulation in the lower abdomen.
Downward Facing Dog
Start from a tabletop position with your hands underneath your shoulder and knees under your hips. Curl your toes and lift your hips off the floor. Try to straighten your legs and lift your tailbone towards the ceiling making an inverted āVā. Bend your knee slightly if you are a beginner and keep your back straight. Keep your shoulder relaxed and away from the ears and settle into the pose for at least 5 breaths and release gently.
When it comes to flexibility tight hamstring is the biggest problem and downward-facing dog stretch your both hamstring at the same time. Along with that it also stretches your lower back, calves, and ankles at the same time.
Low lunge (Anjaneyasana)
Start from the upward plank and bend your right knee and then place it on the ground in front of you. Slowly bring your left knee onto the ground and slowly lengthen your spine and the crown of your head. Inhale and lift your upper torso and stretch your arms above your head. Slowly push forward into your right hip and hold the pose for 30 seconds then release gently and switch onto the left leg.
You can choose your own variation whether you can pull yourself deeply onto your right hips or you can keep it to the knee. This yoga pose lengthen your overall spine, open your hips and strengthen your legs muscles
Wide-angle seated forward Bend (Upavistha Konasana)
Sit on the yoga mat and stretch your leg wide open as per your comfort. Keep your toes straight as if pressing onto an imaginary wall. As you inhale stretch your hand above your head and as you exhale kneel forward from your hips. Walk your hands onto the front and stay in the pose for 1 to 2 minutes and then release.
Wide-angle seated forward bend is the best for opening those tight hips while stretching your hamstring and calves muscles.
Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
Sit on your yoga mat keeping your spine straight and legs stretched in front of you. Bend your right knee and place your right foot near your left hip and bend your left knee and place it near right hips in such a way that your left knee is stack over your right knee. Lift your left arm above your head and bend it so that it can reach your upper back. Take your right arm to the back and interlock your finger and straighten your spine and stay in the pose for 4 to 5 breaths and switch to your other side. These yoga poses to provide you with a good and safe starting place to increase your flexibility however it is the whole mind-body approach that makes yoga make an outstanding practice to increase your flexibility. However, if you are a complete beginner you can go for some beginner yoga courses in Rishikesh and learn this life-changing practice.