Feeling tension in your body? Try these gentle poses
✦ 2 min
If you feel tension in your back, hips, shoulders or legs, try a few very gentle poses. Instead of forcing a deeper range of motion, let your body gradually relax. With each exhale, using gravity and intention, soften.
1. Supported Child's Pose
Put a bolster, a pillow or a folded blanket under your torso and stretch out over it.
Let your belly, chest and hips soften with each exhale and sink lower.
Stay for 1–3 minutes.
This is a pose you can always come back to when you need calm and grounding.
2. Legs up the wall
Lie on your back and rest your legs against the wall. Your hips don't have to be perfectly close to the wall :)
Relax your jaw, shoulders and hands. Rest your hands on your belly and guide deep, relaxing inhales and long exhales into it. Watch this movement and soften.
Stay for 3–5 minutes.
3. Supported reclining butterfly
Prepare a bolster, a pillow or a blanket and lie back on it, bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall out to the sides.
If you feel strong tension in your hips or groin, put a blanket or a pillow under each knee. Stay for 2–4 minutes.
With each exhale let go and allow your muscles to soften.
4. Supine twist
Lie on your back, bend your knees and let them slowly fall to one side.
If your knees don't comfortably reach the floor, support them with a pillow or a blanket.
Your arms can stay spread wide.
Stay for about 1–2 minutes on each side.
The twist doesn't have to be deep. Look instead for space and freedom in your whole torso, into which you guide a deepened, conscious and relaxing breath.
5. Happy Baby
Lie on your back and draw your knees towards your chest.
Point the soles of your feet towards the ceiling. Hold your thighs, calves, the outer edges of your feet or your big toes. Let your hips grow heavy with each exhale, and your chest and shoulders heavy and relaxed.
Stay for 1–2 minutes.
6. Rest with bent knees
Lie on your back, bend your knees and place your feet on the mat hip-width or mat-width apart. You can let your knees fall in towards each other.
Relax your belly and let your whole body sink and soften.
You can place one hand on your belly and the other on your chest and watch your breath.
Stay for 3–5 minutes.
