18 Minute Follow-Along Stretching Routine Using Your Breath
SARA’S DAILY STRETCHING ROUTINE:
The intent of this self-care routine is to teach you how to use your breath to help you stretch tight muscles. This will help you get more connected to your body.
Don’t panic that this is an 18 minute routine. Do the full 18 minutes the first time. With practice, you can learn how to do this routine on your own. When you do it on your own, you can modify the amount of breath cycles based on your needs and time constraints. I can get through these stretches in about 10 to 15 minutes.
I do these self-care stretches when I feel “out of alignment” or when I'm "stressed out". I also do them as my daily warm-up and I repeat them after a challenging training session. Doing this routine after a challenging training sessions allows me to wake-up the next day without feeling “jacked up”.
Stretches: I suggest doing 4-6 breath cycles instead of timing these. If you feel any pain, gently back off and stay in your pain-free range.
- Scalenes stretch: standing up. Side bend your neck away and turn your head towards side you are stretching. Then look up and use your hand to GENTLY guide the stretch. Rotate your other arm so the palm faces forward. Keep your rib cage stacked over your pelvic bowl (so no rib flaring and no anterior pelvic tilt). Nasal inhale and expand the ribs … you will feel the scalenes being stretched by your breath, exhale fully.
- Levator Scapula Stretch: 1 arm behind back. Use other hand to guide your head to sniff your armpit. Other side.
- Pec Doorway Stretch Because your pec muscles cross your ribs, these muscles are heavily influenced by BREATHING! When your lungs are full from an inhale, your pec muscles are stretched. This connection to your breath will play an important role in how we’ll tweak the classic pec stretch. Doorway stretch: elbows 90 degrees, elbows a bit higher than your shoulders. Contract pecs (push into door frame) for 5s, then release and relax into the stretch and take a deep inhale to really expand the rib cage and create an even bigger stretch for your pec muscles. Keep your rib cage and pelvis stacked. Do 4 breath cycles.
- Psoas stretch: lunge position with yoga blocks or a stool for support and something under your knee for protection. Don't engage your glute or go deep . Rather, focus on your psoas opening up/relaxing. Use your breath to guide you. The key is to fully exhale so that the psoas can release.
- Side Lying QL stretch: bottom leg straight, use hand to flex the other hip and guide it to other side. Arm overhead. Use your breath to stretch the lower QL…envision it stretching as you inhale.
- Supine Piriformis Opener: Piriformis stretch, both back dimples on floor (I prefer starting with foot on wall to keep me square). You may prefer this variation: Piriformis Opener on the Box. Front leg parallel to body, sink back leg hip and think of moving forward (not down).
