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Yoga Poses for Stretching and Improving Flexibility

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Yoga is a form of physical and mental exercise that originated in ancient India and now is being practiced by the people all over the world. Indian Saints and sages used to practice this form of exercise to gain control over their body and mind. These yoga poses or postures are time tested and can cure diseases. Yoga if practiced seriously and religiously can cure many diseases which modern medicines also cannot heal.

Many of the yoga poses involves stretches that improves flexibility and doing yoga regularly can make your body more flexible and help avoid injury.

Stretching can play an important role in improving your bodies overall flexibility and improve the joint range of motion. Flexibility helps decrease the chances of injuries and improves the performance in physical activities, sports, games etc.

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Yoga Poses for Stretching and Improving Flexibility
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Yoga Poses for Stretching and Improving Flexibility

It is important to perform these yoga poses for stretching and improving flexibility under the guidance of an expert so as to prevent any injuries arising from doing it incorrectly.

Doing stretching yoga poses for at least 15 minutes each day calms your mind, relieves stress, reduces body cramps and induces flexibility in your body.

  1. Tadasana or Mountain Pose Helps in Making the Limbs Flexible

    Tadasana or the mountain pose is also one of the ancient yogic postures practiced to bring in flexibility in the hands and in the limbs. It includes standing on your toes with both hands stretched up with palm facing the ceiling. This is the very first step to start the exercise for stretching and flexibility. Practicing Tadasana or mountain pose on regular basis can eliminate back pain. It makes your spine flexible, improves posture and balance and eliminates problems related to back.

    Tadasana or Mountain Pose Helps in Making the Limbs Flexible

  2. Supta Padangustasana Stretches Hamstring, Calves and Inner Thigh and Relieves Stiff Back

    Hamstrings are the muscles located at the back of your thigh and are the most stiff ones in the whole body. This stiffness in the hamstrings causes backache that sometimes becomes terrible to bear. This yoga pose, Supta Padangustasana, for stretching and flexibility relieves you of the pain in the back of your abdomen and thighs. This yoga pose stretches your hamstring, calves and inner thigh muscles and relieves problems of stiff back. To Lie down with your hips on the ground. Raise one leg and pull the leg with a strap. This will make even the tightest of the hamstrings flexible. Hold it for a few breathes. Do it with the alternate leg and continue practicing it once in a day.

    Supta Padangustasana Stretches Hamstring, Calves and Inner Thigh and Relieves Stiff Back

  3. Halasana or Plow Pose for Stretching the Spine and Improving Overall Flexibility

    Halasana or Plow Pose helps you stretch each and every part of your spine. It enhances the function of the spine by stretching the spinal nerves. This yoga asana provides great stretch to the spine and thus it helps in improving the overall flexibility and the function of the body

    Halasana or Plow Pose for Stretching the Spine and Improving Overall Flexibility

    To do this yoga pose, lie on your back with your hands stretched and kept at the sides. Then slowly raise your lower portion and bring your legs at the top of your head and slowly bring it down so that the toes touch your head in a perpendicular direction. Do not bend your knees. This is one of the stretching yoga postures that keep your spines flexible.

  4. Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog Pose-An Effective Yoga Pose to Stretch Lumbar and Cervical Spine

    Adho Mukha Svanasana is also one of the yoga postures for improving flexibility. It is also known as the downward facing dog pose. It requires you to stretch your arms forward with your body balanced on the toes. Bend your head down as your stretched palms touch the ground. This posture helps in stretching the whole body. See the image to know how this pose is done.

    Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog Pose-An Effective Yoga Pose to Stretch Lumbar and Cervical Spine

  5. Balasana Helps Stretch Your Lower and Upper Back and Improves Flexibility of the Spine

    Sit with your knees bend on the ground and your head resting just in front of your folded knees. Stretch your arms in front. See that the forehead touches the ground. This yoga benefits in a number of ways besides stretching. It keeps you belly from bloating and gas, also keeps your bowel movements regular.

    Balasana Helps Stretch Your Lower and Upper Back and Improves Flexibility of the Spine

  6. Trikonasana for Stretching the Groins and Improving the Flexibility of Thoracic and Lumbar Spine

    This yoga pose resembles the posture of a triangle. Keep your legs stretched on either side. Then slowly bend on any side with your hands stretched upward and touching one leg so that the body assumes a triangle. Repeat this yoga pose with the other leg. It stretches the legs and opens the shoulders and chest.

    Trikonasana for Stretching the Groins and Improving the Flexibility of Thoracic and Lumbar Spine

  7. Baddha Konasana for Stretching the Hip Bones

    Sit on the floor with your back kept straight. Bend both the knees and bring the soles of each foot together and draw them as close as possible to your body as possible. Clasp both your feet with your hands and try to press your thigh and knees towards the ground. Start flapping your thigh up and down the ground. Baddha konasana stretches your hip bones, inner thigh, groins and knee and improves groin flexibility. This posture of yoga benefits in keeping your hip bones stronger.

    Baddha Konasana for Stretching the Hip Bones

  8. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana for Improving the Shoulders Flexibility

    Lie down on your back and lift the lower part of the body from the hip as shown in the image. This will exert pressure on the shoulders and make your shoulders flexible. Keep both of your hands under the hip when it is raised. This pose of yoga benefits in keeping the shoulders flexible and also stretches your chest muscles.

    Setu Bandha Sarvangasana for Improving the Shoulders Flexibility

  9. Gomukhasana for Stretching the Arms

    Now this posture is a bit difficult. It includes clasping both your hands behind the back with the elbow of one hand facing the ceiling and the elbow of the other hand facing downward. Gomukhasana stretches the shoulders as well as the hands. This yoga pose makes the back flexible, and eases shoulder stiffness.

    These are the yoga poses that help stretch your spine and other bones and also tone up the muscles that become stiff due to age or some disease and lack of exercises. Practicing these yoga poses regularly can help you get a flexible body and a healthy mind. A healthy mind in turn leads to a healthy body and brings back the lost confidence in you. So take out at least a thirty minutes time out of your busy schedule and practice these postures religiously. You will not need to hit the gym to stay fit if you practice these steps at your home regularly.

    Gomukhasana for Stretching the Arms

9 Best Yoga Poses for Stretching and Increasing Flexibility

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:June 18, 2018

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