Do your legs and feet feel stiff and tired after a long day? Try these yoga stretches for instant relief!
It’s normal for your legs and feet to feel tired and stiff after a long day, even if you didn’t workout, or put obvious strain on them. Most of us feel tight and stiff due to our lifestyle, and simple daily habits that we repeat. Sitting for long periods throughout the day and wearing restrictive shoes can both play a part in how our lower body feels by the end of the day.
Let’s imagine what happens with our legs when we sit for long periods. When seated, your legs are flexed at the hip; the main muscle that does that is your hip flexors. These muscles, which go from your back starting at T12 across the hip to the front of the upper thigh, shorten or contract in the seated position. Because you’re not moving or bearing weight your muscles don’t have to do much work, yet they are in contraction. These shortened muscles become tense or high tone, known as hypertonic and it can make your muscles tired and over time become weak and tight. During the day, it’s a good idea to set a reminder to stand up for 5 minutes every hour, and when you’re sitting down for prolonged periods move positions to avoid hypertonic muscles.
Let’s talk about our feet. Do you ever take off your shoes at the end of the day and it’s like your feet are screaming at you THANK YOU! Did you know the soles of your feet are a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia? Your fascia can be reshaped, so when we wear shoes all day we constrict the movement of our plantar fascia, thereby making them feel tight, the tighter the shoe, the more stiff your feet will feel. The good news is fascia is malleable, so giving yourself a foot massage, taking your fingers between your toes to stretch the tissue, or rolling your foot on a tennis ball is a great way to massage your plantar fascia.
Try this yoga routine after a long day to release tension from your leg muscles and stretch your feet. This will help not only lengthen the tired and tight muscles of your lower body but also increase circulation that has been limited by a sedentary lifestyle or from standing most of the day.
Thunderbolt Pose and Toe Stands
Sit in a kneeling position with your hips on top of your heels. You can sit on a blanket for comfort, or sit on a block to relieve any knee discomfort. Take a deep inhale and reach the crown of your head up to lengthen and align your spine. Place your hands on top of your thighs. This gentle posture stretches the quads, front of the shinbone, and tops of the feet. Hold for 1 minute.
Include this variation of thunderbolt with toes curled under to stretch the soles of the feet.
Add a little more intensity with this toe-stand variation. Widening the knees will add an inner thigh stretch
Gorilla Pose
From a standing position feet hip’s distance apart, slide the palm of your hands underneath your feet until your toes reach your wrist crease. Bend your knees as much as needed to get the palms underneath your feet. Allow your upper back to round and stretch. This posture stretches the entire posterior, or backside of your body including your back, gluteus maximus, hamstrings, calves, Achilles heel, and soles of feet. You can gently shift the weight of your feet on your hands to get a massage of both your feet and hands. Hold for 1 minute.
Lizard Lunge
Place your front foot as wide as your outer hip. Bend your front leg knee until it stacks over your ankle. Extend your back leg behind you and allow your hips to sink. Your arms are to the inside of your front bent leg you can stay up on your hands, or for a deeper stretch place your forearms down parallel. Reach your sternum forward to lengthen the spine. This hip opener stretches your inner thighs, hip flexors, and groin. Hold for 1-3 minutes each side.
Reclined Hero’s Pose
Kneel on the floor thighs parallel, and widen your feet out until your heels brush against your outer hips.. Sit hips down in between feet. Spread each toe into the floor. Thighs roll inward. Recline your torso onto the ground. You can also lay on a pillow or bolster if it’s more comfortable. If this stretch is too much for your knees, extend one leg straight and then switch sides. Stretches Quads, hip flexors, knees, ankles, and tops of feet. Hold for 1 minute.
Cobbler’s Pose
From a seated position bring the soles of your feet toward each other and open your knees wide. Rotate your pelvis slightly forward so you’re seated on your sit-bones, and elevate on a blanket if needed. Hands gently grip the top of ankles. Reach the crown of your head up to lengthen the spine, and stack your shoulders over your hips. As your inner thighs stretch and knees widen open your feet. Seated evenly on sit bones. Stretches groin and inner thighs. Hold for 1 minute.
Bio -Cathy Madeo
Cathy Madeo is a yoga expert, entrepreneur, and social media influencer. She founded Cathy Madeo Yoga, an online yoga school where 1000s of students worldwide take her online yoga series and training. She’s graduated 450 yoga teachers in over 45 countries and counting.
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