3 Yoga Poses for Better Flexibility

To celebrate my newly earned certification as a Yoga Teacher from YogaRenew, I’m sharing three notable poses that I learned in my studies. My training was in Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga, and I encourage you to practice the poses below with a bias toward Hatha/Yin Yoga. This style of yoga is more similar to how I have been teaching my posture classes with longer holds, generally 1-2 minutes and up to 5 minutes. The longer holds encourage a deeper release in the body and a calmer state of mind.

Child Pose (Balasana) with hands elevated

Target Areas: This pose encourages a deep groin stretch. Extending and elevating the hands increases the opening of the spine, shoulders, and chest.

Plane of Motion: Sagittal

Props Need: 2 blocks, bolster, blanket

• Start in an all fours or table top position. If you have sensitive knees, please kneel on a blanket.
• Next, bring your knees wide and big toes to touch.
• Then, glide your hips back to sit on your heels with your arms extended long.
• Note: to ease the bend in your knees, keep your hips high or place a bolster or blanket on your heels.
• Now, elevate your hands onto your blocks and adjust your position to feel a stretch through your chest, arms, and back.  
• Rest your forehead or chin on the floor. Use a prop for support if needed.
• Inhale throughout your torso, creating space in all directions. 
• Exhale and release further into the pose. 
• After a minute or more in the position, walk your hands back to lift your upper body and come out of the pose.

Half Seated Straddle (Upavistha Konasana) with side reach

Target Areas: This pose stretches the lower body from the fascia on the bottom of the foot to the hip, creating more length in the hamstrings, calves, and inner thigh. Reaching the arm overhead opens the side body, flowing more range into the obliques, ribs, and neck.

Plane of Motion: Frontal

• Start seated on the floor with legs extended in front of you.
• Next, move both legs out into a wide straddle.
• Then, bend your left knee and bring your heel in towards your right thigh.
• Next, flex your right toes to point straight up to the ceiling.
• Now, grab your left knee with your right hand.
• Inhale and reach your left arm straight up while keeping both sits bones firmly in contact with the ground.
• Exhale and reach your left arm over your head towards your right side. There is also the option to continue reaching the arm straight up. 
• Hold the pose for several breaths before switching to the other side.

Deer (Mrigasana) with twist

Target Areas: This pose lengthens the front of the hip and thigh (quadriceps) while providing a gentle stretch of the psoas. Adding the twist opens the lower back and chest.

Plane of Motion: Transverse

Props Need (optional): block or blanket

• Start seated on the floor in a cross-legged position.
• Next, rotate your right leg behind you.
• Then, adjust both knees to be bent at a 90 degree angle.
• NOTE: in this posture your left hip is externally rotated while your right hip is internally rotated. If your right sits bone does not touch the floor, bring the ground up by placing a block or blanket under your right side. You want to feel even support under both sides of your pelvis. If this posture is uncomfortable for your knees you can pad them with a blanket underneath.
• On an exhale, bring your right hand to rest on your left knee and reach your left hand behind you.
• With your next inhale extend up through your spine and gently drop your shoulders down and back.
• As you exhale, lightly engage the muscles between your shoulder blade and spine to increase the twist.
• Hold the pose for several minutes, lengthening through the spine on the inhale and deepening into the twist on the exhale.
• On an exhale unwind from the pose and transition to the other side.