10 Best yoga poses for flexibility
Yoga is one such exercise that uses flexibility as a key element to increase your mobility and heal your body stiffness. Trying the best yoga poses for flexibility is all you need to do to start your healing process and improve your body’s elasticity.
From juggling our daily work targets to achieving goals for personal growth, amid this chaos, we often find ourselves complaining about multiple body aches, neck, back pains, and whatnot. But what can we do to avoid these pains and anxiety? Your body’s core flexibility is the crucial element that helps you resolve all of these problems.
Yes! You are reading right. Boosting flexibility is a solution to a lot of our physical health problems. Here at The Health Fortune, we recommend you try the super exercise for flexibility – YOGA.
Practicing yoga regularly can contribute a lot to your mental and physical well-being. Practicing yoga poses for flexibility is proven to help you live a healthier and more stressless life.
Here are 10 Best yoga poses for flexibility
A great way to start a yoga journey is with a professional instructor, but if you are more of yoga a home person, you can simply activate your yoga journey with these easy yoga poses to get yourself in shape in no time.
1. Standing hamstring stretch
The first pose, to begin with, is the standing hamstring stretch. This pose will let you know how flexible you are currently. Stand with back straight and feet apart.
Now bend forward and lower your head towards the floor. Keep your shoulders, head, and back relaxed and now wrap your arms around the back of your legs. Hold this position for 45 secs and then roll back up.
2. Low lunge
This pose will give a nice stretch to both your legs and hips.
How to do –
Move your right foot forward and place it flat on the mat in front of you, knee bent. Now lean forward on the right foot and stretch your left leg and hip. Hold this position for at least 30 seconds, and then alternate sides.
3. Cat-cow pose
This pose is for your lower back. An excellent exercise for reducing tummy fat, this also gives strength to your abdominal organs. Alongside, it also eases any pain in the neck and torso.
How to do –
Get down on your all fours, placing your knees on the mat and hands beneath your shoulders on the mat. Now, as you inhale, stretch your back and allow your belly to fall towards the floor.
Now, as you exhale, let your belly and back move your spine towards the ceiling while you keep your chin upwards. Keep this movement for at least 1 minute to feel the stretch. During the stretch, keep your weight balanced equally.
4. Cobra pose
If you are looking to strengthen your shoulders, arms, and back muscles, you should be practicing the cobra pose. It helps tone your uterine muscles and induces a kidney flush-out system in the body.
How to do –
Lie on the yoga mat with your face facing the floor. Now place your elbows below your shoulders and lift your body upwards with the support of your hands. This will give a nice stretch to your neck and your lower back. Feel the stretch in your body and hold this position for half a minute.
5. Downward facing dog
This pose helps strengthen the overall body parts. A great exercise to calm your mind and increase blood circulation, this pose will help give rest to your back muscles.
How to do –
This pose looks like the formation of an inverted V. Come onto your four, with your hands slightly ahead of your shoulders on the mat and knees under your hips. Now slowly push your hip towards the ceiling.
By pushing your hands onto the floor and lifting your heels, try to feel the stretch in your body. Bring your head in line with your arms and tuck your chin in the chest. Now hold this position for 1 min.
6. Seated forward bend
If you are looking for yoga poses for flexibility, specifically one that can give your whole back body a good stretch, this is the pose for you. It helps relieve pain in your calves, spine, and your hamstrings.
How to do –
For this pose, sit on a yoga mat with the back straight. Now lean forward, stretch your back, and touch your elbows on the sides of your knees. While you are in this posture, your nose should touch the legs, folding your body
7. Extended puppy pose
For people dealing with extreme stress, regular insomnia, or anxiety, this pose is a must to do. Known to improve shoulder and spine flexibility, it will also help stretch your arms, hips, and upper back areas.
How to do –
Using the yoga mat again, sit on your knees and palms on the mat. Walk your arms forward and curl your toes. Now by pushing your hips, stretch your arms, and allow your forehead to touch the floor. Hold this position for 30 secs and feel the stretch in your upper body.
8. King dancer
If you are dealing with metabolism issues or want to reduce weight, the King Dancer pose is the one for you. This involves stretching your chest, ankles, hips, and legs, which makes your balancing capabilities better.
How to do –
This posture is slightly hard and will need you to balance yourself. Stand with your feet apart. Now lift your right leg off the floor and lean slightly forward. Now stretch your right hand backward and grasp the right foot in the air.
Maintain your balance on the left foot and stretch the left hand in the mid-air to feel the stretch in your body. Start with maintaining this posture for at least 15 secs and gradually increase the time duration.
9. Two knee spinal twist
Among the yoga poses for flexibility, this pose is often performed towards the end of the yoga session and is a great way to improve your digestion and enhance spinal fluidity. It massages the internal organs and also helps cut down your tummy fat.
How to do –
First, you have to lie down on the yoga mat for this posture. Extend your arms on each side with palms facing the floor. Now lift your knees to your chest and move them on the left side.
And then on the right side. Repeat this a few times and old the position for at least 30 secs each time. This movement will make you feel the stretch in your lower back and arms.
10. Bow pose
Exclusively crafted for strengthening the upper back of humans, this pose is great for those looking to stretch their abdomen, thorax, thigh, ankle, and frontal body. It helps in digestion and also develops great posture.
How to do
Lie flat on your stomach. Now start with doing a basic cobra pose. Lift your chest up using your hands. Now while you are in this position, lift your heels close to your buttocks and now hold the heels with your hands.
And then repeat the same with the other hand and heels at the same time. You will have to lift your legs and thighs off the mat to this posture and stretch your tailbone.
Benefits of yoga poses
So, once you start doing these basic yoga poses, you will find your body more active and observe fewer body pains that occur due to stiffness of the body. Here we have discussed a few benefits of these amazing exercises.
A healthy spine
The spine is one of those body parts which suffers a lot due to bad posture. These exercises give the required stretch you need to avoid stiffness in your back and make it more flexible.
Weight loss
Exercises provide mobility to your body and make you move and stretch all those body parts that suffer from bad posture and sitting habits. Yoga gives your body an extra benefit as these stretches reduce the release of cortisol, a stress hormone.
Better balance
These exercises build stronger feet and ankles. It gives you more control over balance and posture.
Better sleep
These exercises stretch your body and burn calories by stretching your muscles. These relax your muscles and contribute to good sleep.
Back pain relief and healthy knees
Stretching your body and knees reduces the risk of stiffness and exhausted muscles. These exercises relieve you from back pain, cervical and knee pains.
