The Great Yogic Stretch

Reset your body and mind with deep, intense stretching.

Need to relax and restore your energy? This restorative practice unloads your tissues and your worries through deliberate relaxation, deep, intense stretching, breathing and a healthy serving of sweet savasana. Repeat the entire sequence twice for 20 to 30 minutes for a practice that will get you ready for whatever’s next.

01 – Tadasana, Mountain Pose

• Stand tall with your feet together or hip-width apart, legs and core engaged.
• Root down through your legs into the four corners of your feet and lift up through your sternum.
• Press your palms together at your heart center, broaden your collarbones and lightly hug your outer shoulder blades onto your upper back.

02 – Uttanasana, Standing Forward Fold (Variation)

• Standing in Tadasana, inhale, press down through your feet, and circle your arms out and up over your head.
• Exhale, bend your knees and fold forward, keeping your legs strong and core engaged.
• Release your spine, hold onto opposite elbows, and relax your neck to hang your head framed between your arms.
• Allow the weight of your arms to lengthen the sides of your body.
• Draw your shoulders away from your ears to lengthen the neck and spine.

03 – Prasarita Padottanasana, Wide-legged Forward Fold

• Take a wide-legged stance with the outer edges of your feet parallel or angled slightly inwards.
• Root down through your feet, actively create tone in the legs.
• Exhale and fold forward, bringing your fingertips to the floor under your shoulders.
• Draw your shoulders away from your ears to lengthen the neck and spine.

04 – Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward-facing Dog

• Stand at the back edge of the mat with your feet hip-width apart.
• Bend your knees and fold forward, touching the floor.
• Walk your hands forward on the mat into Downward-facing Dog, with your hands shoulder-width apart and your wrist creases parallel to the front edge of your mat.
• Spread your fingers, press down through your palms, and reach your hips up and back, keeping your spine long.

05 – Balasana, Child’s Pose (Extended)

• From Downward-facing Dog, exhale and lower your knees to the mat.
• Bring your big toes together and knees apart, and press your sitting bones back to your heels. Leave your arms outstretched, and rest with your palms flat on the mat.
• Place your forehead on the mat, and relax for a few deep breaths.

06 – Balasana, Child’s Pose with Side Stretch (Variation)

• From Extended Child’s Pose, stay low and walk your hands to the left side of the mat on the diagonal.
• Actively press down into the tops of the feet, contract the inner thighs, and carve tailbone into core.
• Reach out through your right fingertips, and pull back through your outer right hip, lengthening the right side of your body and using breath to expand into your right ribs.
• Inhale and walk your hands back through center and then off to the other side.
• Exhale and walk your hands to the right side of the mat, reaching through your left fingertips and pulling your outer left hip back.

07 – Balasana, Resting Child’s Pose (Pull Arms Back)

• From Extended Child’s Pose, reach your arms back alongside your shins and rest the backs of your hands on the mat with your palms down, moving your shoulders away from the ears and contracting the core muscles to lengthen the neck and spine.

08 – Setu Bahnda Sarvangasana, Bridge Pose

• Lie flat on your back, bend both of your knees, and place your feet hip width apart pressing firmly down between all four corners of your feet.
• Lengthen your arms down by your sides with your palms down and draw your shoulder blades firmly toward the center of the spine. Press down into all corners of your feet, engage your inner thighs, and keep your core engaged, pelvis neutral and knees in parallel as you lift your hips up off the floor.
• Press the palms of your hands into the floor for support, and engage your shoulders. Contract your shoulder blades together once more, and lift your heart up and toward your chin.

09 – Viparita Karani, Legs Up the Wall

• From Bridge Pose, lie back down and bring your knees in toward your chest.
• Lengthen your lower back down to the floor.
• Slowly straighten your legs up over your hips, softening your knees as much as you need to feel comfortable, feet held slightly apart.
• Take a few breaths with your legs up in the air, and feel your body relax into the ground.

10 – Ananda Balasana, Happy Baby Pose

• From Legs Up the Wall, exhale and bring your knees back to your chest.
• Separate your knees outside of your hips and reach your arms up to grab the outer edges of your feet, pulling your legs toward your torso.
• Flex your feet, bending knees to 90 degrees and guide ankles to stack over the knees.
• Press your feet up into your hands as you pull your knees down and lengthen your tailbone forward and down, extending your back in a slight arch.

11 – Savasana, Corpse Pose

• From a seated position, gently lower your body down until you are lying on your back.
• Stretch both legs out, lengthen your arms by your sides with your palms up, and relax your shoulders, eyes and jaw.
• Take a few deep breaths, and rest completely and fully into the floor.

12 – Virasana, Seated Hero Pose

• From Child Pose, inhale and come to a kneeling position with your thighs parallel and knees hip-width apart on the mat.
• Point your feet straight back, and lower your hips back to sit between your ankle bones or sit comfortably on your heels instead. (Alternatively, if your sitting bones don’t easily come down to the floor, sit on a blanket or towel.)
• Spread your toes and press the tops of your feet down. Hug your outer ankle bones in and engage your inner thigh muscles. Contract your core to tilt your tailbone downwards to create a neutral pelvis.
• Lengthen your spine and sit up tall as you rest you press your palms together and spread your fingers wide.

13 – Parivrtta Virasana, Twisting Hero Pose

• Sit up tall in Virasana. Inhale and drop your tailbone, create a neutral pelvis and lift tall through your spine.
• Exhale and bring your right fingertips to the floor behind you and your left hand to the outside of your right knee. Inhale and lengthen your spine.
• Exhale and twist from your core, rotating the torso as one unit to look over the back right shoulder.
• Do not force the twist. Use the inhale to get length, and rotate into new space with each exhale.
• Repeat on the other side.

14 – Dandasana, Staff Pose

• Sit up tall on your sitting bones with your legs extended out in front of you.
• Contract and rotate your inner thigh muscles inwards to point your toes and kneecaps straight up to the ceiling.
• Spread your toes, engage the muscles of your legs, and press down through your thigh bones.
• Place your palms flat by your outer hips with your fingers facing forward, press down, lift your sternum up, and soften your shoulders back.

15 – Janu Sirasana, Head-to-knee Pose

• From Dandasana, bend your left knee out to the side and press the bottom of your left foot into your inner right thigh.
• Connect down through both sitting bones, and keep your pelvis neutral. Leading with your sternum, lengthen through your spine and rotate the torso from your core to face your right leg.
• Exhale and fold forward, sending your sternum to the top of your right foot and relaxing over the leg, maintaining a line from your neck and spine.
• Repeat on the other side.

16 – Marichyasana 3, Straight-leg Seated Twist

• From Dandasana, bend your left knee and place your left foot flat in line with your left sitting bone.
• Inhale and lengthen your spine.
• Exhale and place your left palm on the floor behind you.
• Inhale, engaging the core to create energy for the twist.
• Exhale and hook your right elbow outside of your right knee, keeping your core strong as you twist your torso to the left.
• Repeat on the other side.

17 – Baddha Konasana, Cobbler Pose

w Sit with the bottoms of your feet together and your knees out to the sides.

w Inhale, press your feet together strongly, and pull your heels toward you slightly as you lift your sternum and lengthen your spine.

w Roll your inner thighs and groin open, and tuck your tailbone to create a neutral pelvis.

w Exhale and fold forward, lengthening your sternum toward your toes.

18 – Hindolasana, Seated Half Pigeon

• Sit in a cross-legged position, lean back slightly, and bring your right shin up toward your chest.
• Grab hold of your right ankle with your left hand, and place the sole of your right foot in the crease of your left elbow, pressing your foot into your arm and maintaining a flexed, stiff ankle. Hug your right knee firmly with your right arm, cradling the leg close to you.
• Join your fingers. Keep your right shin lifted and parallel to the floor. Maintain length of spine and neutral posture.
• Repeat on the other side.

19 – Pascimottanasana, Forward Bend

• From Dandasana with your legs active, thighs pressing down and spine long, inhale, extending your lower back to create length in the torso.
• Exhale and slowly fold forward, keeping your spine long and engaging your core to create more space and support.
• Grab the outer edges of your feet or ankle bones, or plant your hands on the mat along your outer legs.
• Inhale and lengthen your spine again.
• Exhale and bow forward.

20 – Supta Baddha Konasana, Reclining Cobbler Pose

• Lie on your back with your feet flat and hip-width apart on the mat.
• Slowly open your knees to the sides and bring the bottoms of your feet to touch.
• Rest your arms down the sides of your body, palms up, and release your shoulders back.
• Take five deep breaths.

21 – Urasijanvasana, Single Knee to Chest Pose

• Lie on your back, hug your right knee into your chest and keep your pelvis firmly on the floor.
• Extend your left leg out on the mat and press the leg down firmly, keeping the thigh engaged and leg rotated inwards until your kneecap and toes point toward the ceiling.
• Hold for a few breaths and switch legs.

22 – apanasana, Double Knees to Chest Pose

• Lie on your back and hug both knees into your chest.
• Engage the core and extend the lower back to press the back of your pelvis firmly into the ground. Keep your neck long and chin neutral.

23 – Supta Padangusthasana, Reclining Hand to Toe Pose

• Lie on your back, hug your right knee into your chest and extend your left leg out on the mat with your toes pointing straight up.
• Interlace your fingers behind your right thigh, and contract your quadriceps to straighten your right leg to the sky.
• Press your left thigh down, and extend out through both heels.
• Engage the core and extend the lower back to press the back of your pelvis firmly into the ground. Keep your neck long and chin neutral.
• Take a few breaths, and release your right knee back into your chest.
• Repeat on the other side.

24 – Parivrtta Supta Padangusthasana, Knees Bent, Twisted Reclining Hand to Toe Pose

• Lie on your back, hug your right knee into your chest and extend your left leg out on the mat.
• Hold onto your right knee with your left hand, open your right arm to the right, and release your right shoulder down.
• Exhale and use your left hand to guide your right knee across your body into a twist, allowing the pelvis to rotate with you. Maintain your torso and upper body in neutral, pressing firmly into the ground.
• After a few breaths, release onto your back and repeat on the other side.

25 – Savasana, Corpse Pose

• From a seated position, gently lower your body down until you are lying on your back.
• Stretch both legs out, lengthen your arms by your sides with your palms up, and relax your shoulders, eyes and jaw.
• Take a few deep breaths, and rest completely and fully into the floor.

26 – Sukhasana with Samana Mudra, Easy Seated Pose Meditation

• Sit with your shin bones crossed and your heels under your knees for support. Connect your sitting bones down into the mat.
• Lengthen up through your sternum, broaden your collarbones, and soften your shoulders back.
• To create Samana Mudra, bring the tips of your fingers to touch, and rest the backs of your hands on your thighs. Allow the energy of the Mudra to help balance and release vitality from deep within your core.

The Great Yoga Stretch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53yY9zUb0qs

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Photo and video credits: Mark Kuroda, kurodastudios.com
Model: Jon Li, yoga student