STRETCHING: Lengthen, Strengthen, Refresh

Good Evening, One & All. This was initially intended to be the Monday morning STRETCH on our ZoeHygiea Facebook page, but an evening STRETCH works great, too! After sitting at the computer for quite a while this morning, this simple stretch -- that involves the whole body -- was just what I needed.

To experience the refreshed feeling it gives, you can use a couch, desk, the seat or not-so-high back of a STURDY chair, or even a wall. If using a chair like our ZoeHygiea model and teen extraordinaire, Attiyah J., you may have to push the chair up against a wall or against a table to really secure it. I prefer using my solid-yet-fairly soft couch because of the way my hands just melt into it while holding the stretch. But, just work with what you have available or whatever feels best for you!

 

Here goes:

~ Place hands, shoulder-width apart, on chair, table, or whatever "prop" you are using. (Again, I used a couch.)
 

 
~ Hip-width apart, begin walking your feet back until you feel the comfortable lengthening of your spine. Your body will let you know if you have walked back too far or not enough. You want to feel as if your back is now the top of a sturdy table being held by straight legs (your arms and legs)! :-)

~ Keep your head and neck relaxed, eyes looking down at your feet. This will allow some refreshing in the face; you should really notice this as you eventually come out of the stretch.
 
~ Once you are holding the stretch in a way that feels "yummy" for you, start to play a little bit, such as lifting your heels and holding the lift to stretch your ankles, calf muscles, and hamstrings.

~ Then, returning to flat feet and keeping them hip-width apart, bend your knees in a squat-like position while making sure your knees stay behind your toes; you may need to adjust the position of your feet at this point. Feel/enjoy the glutes being stretched while allowing the hands to push more into the couch, chair, etc., as this can provide more lengthening of the upper body.

~ If you haven't done so already, engage your tummy muscles to activate your core while feeling as though you are pushing the chair, couch (or such) away from you while your bottom and hips are moving backward! Your WHOLE body will be involved in the process, and you should sweetly feel the combination of strengthening and lengthening!

 

Then, when you are ready...

 

~ Straighten your legs again to come out of the squat. Take some good, deep breaths.

 
~ Remain hinging forward while removing one hand at a time from the chair, etc., and then let your hands rest near your legs or on the floor (depending on your flexibility) while you hang in the forward bend stretch explained last week right here! 

 

~ With chin close to chest, rise very slowly to an upright position!

Feel refreshed now? I know I do...:-)

Happy Stretching!

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