The Ten Minute Whole Body Stretch

I don't know about your mornings, but mine are hectic. Rushing to get my daughter and I out the door for the day leaves very little free time in the morning. The possibility of a full yoga practice just isn't practical for me unless I get up at 5am. As much as I would like to be, I'm not a morning person, getting up that early is torture. A morning practice has therefore not been in my life for years.

I believe the best time for yoga is in the morning. It wakes us up, works out all the kinks from sleeping and leaves you feeling light and refreshed, ready for the day. So what to do when you're pressed for time but still want to do your yoga in the morning?

If you stretch all the major fascia lines of the body, it will make a world of difference in how your body feels. With a little experimentation I came up with the following sequence. It feels just as good as a regular 30 minute practice. I do it every morning when I get to work. It relieves all the tension in my upper and lower back and helps to wake me up a bit. You will need an exercise ball for this (I have a ball chair at work, quite convenient).

Supported Back Bend 

 

Roll your back onto the ball, coming into a supported back bend. Push the side of the ball up against a wall if it keeps rolling away on you. Bend your knees and use your feet to support you. Slowly allow your back to bend over the ball, taking deep slow breaths. If your back is really tight, go slow. You may need to come back up and then release down again if you're really tight. Repeat this as many times as you need to till you can lay back like in the above picture. If you are new to back bends, it will take some time to be able to relax into the stretch. Just keep breathing (common to hold your breath when it's intense) and come out of the pose if you feel any pain.

 

Full Back Bend

 

Once you're fully draped over the ball you can start to straighten your legs and then your arms. Go slow with this, allow your body time to open up. If you feel any uncomfortable pressure in your back, bend the knees again. You can play with the position of your arms to get just the right stretch. Try extending them out to the side, straight up, like in the picture, or anywhere in between. Just make sure your shoulder joints are supported.

If you have dislocated a shoulder or have hyper-mobile shoulder joints, engage the shoulders so that the arms aren't pulling on the joint too much. If the pressure is to intense, just rest the arms on the ball. If your low back hurts, bend your knees. Hang out in this stretch as long as you like. Notice where you're feeling the stretch. The longer you're in it, the better the results.

3. Side Bend

Next move into a side bend. You can step one foot back for more balance. The nice thing about a ball is that it will also help to strengthen your core as you have to hold yourself on the ball. You're sneaking in a core workout as well. Side bends tend to be easier on the back then the full back bend. Again, any pain, come out of the stretch and work slowly into it. Repeat on the other side. Notice if one side is tighter than the other. If it is, pay attention to your body posture throughout the day. Are you leaning to one side more when you sit or stand?

Come off the ball and stand up nice and tall. Allow your spine to neutralize then come into a forward fold with a slight bend in your knees. Clasp your elbows and let your head hang. Slowly swing your arms from side to side. When your arms swing to the left, turn the head to the right. Do this a few times.

Slowly come back up to standing and take a few deep breaths. Smile, you're ready for the day.

Back bending over the ball can feel intense at first. This is because we're constantly bending forward. We're hunched over a desk at the computer, hunched over to read, write, check our smart phones or do homework. These back bends counteract that position and wake up the back. So if it's intense at first, don't give up as your back really needs it!

This short simple practice is a great way to get your body ready for the day without sucking a lot of your time. It's also great to do when you feel tension creeping into your body from sitting at a desk all day. I love yoga, but not enough to get up at 5am. This gives me the best of both worlds. I get to sleep in and I start my day feeling great.