Yoga can be quite an intimidating practice for those who don’t consider themselves naturally flexible. However, there is nothing to worry about: developing flexibility is quite simple if you are attentive to your feelings, make classes regular and practice our complex.
- Virasana . Get on your knees, hips together. Spread your feet a distance slightly more than the width of the pelvis. Place your palms in your hamstrings and pull your calf muscles toward your heels to create space under your knees. Sit between your legs on the floor or on a support. Make sure that the pelvis is not hanging in the air and that the pelvic bones are firmly pressed against the support.
- Adho Mukha Svanasana . Get on all fours. Keep your hands strictly shoulder-width apart and rest them completely on the floor. Press your toes into the ground, straighten your knees, and enter Downward Dog Pose.
- Virabhadrasana I. Stand in the center of the mat and spread your feet approximately 130 cm apart. Turn your right leg outward 90° and turn your left leg inward about 60°. Lower your arms along the body and turn the pelvis towards the right leg. While inhaling, bend your right leg at the knee so that the angle between the thigh and lower leg is 90 °. At the same time, stretch your arms up, palms facing each other. Try not to lift your left heel off the floor.
- Parshvottanasana . Put your palms together behind your back and move them as high as possible along the spine. Place your left foot back at foot’s length. Rotate your left toes so that they point to the upper left corner of the mat. Lean forward with your torso parallel to the floor.
- Parivritta Trikonasana . The feet are firmly pressed to the floor, the knees are straightened. Engaging the abdominal muscles, turn the trunk to the right and place the left hand on the floor, and stretch the right hand up.
- Virabhadrasana II . Stand sideways on the mat and spread your legs 90-130 cm apart. Place your feet flat on the mat and spread your arms out to the sides. Turn your right foot so that your toes are facing the beginning of the mat. Bend your right leg at a 90 degree angle. Look at the thumb of your right hand.
- Ardha Chandrasana . Bend your right leg and place your right palm on the floor under your shoulder in front of your foot. Take a deep breath, and as you exhale, gently lift your left foot off the floor and point your toes up. Slowly straighten your right leg. Left hand on left thigh. Slowly rotate your chest so that it is in the plane of your right hand. The weight of the body is on the right foot, and the right hand is only a support for balance.
- Utthita Hasta Padangushthasana II . Stand up straight. Bend your leg at the knee and pull it towards your chest. Grab the big toe with the same hand and try to straighten the knee, then move the leg to the side. Use a strap if necessary.
- Prasarita Padottanasana . With an inhalation, place your hands on your waist and spread your legs as wide as possible, comfortably. Inhale and exhale bend over. Place your palms on the floor between your feet (if it’s hard, bend your knees a little). Hands at shoulder level. Inhale and as you exhale lower the top of your head to the floor, distributing your body weight on your feet.
- Anjaneyasana . Stand up straight. Take a step forward with your right foot and lower your left knee to the floor. Adjust the pelvis so that it is parallel to the floor. Make sure the knee maintains a 90 degree angle. Keep your spine straight, straighten your arms up, open your chest area.
- Janu Sirshasana Sit on the mat and straighten your legs. Bend your left leg at the knee and place it sideways on the mat so that the left foot rests on the right thigh with its entire surface. Turn your whole body to the outstretched leg, grab your hands on the foot or shin, bend your body to the leg. Do a chest tilt.
- Pashchimottanasana . Bring your legs together and straighten them. Rest your palms on the floor and stretch your spine up as much as possible. Raise your arms up through the sides as you inhale. With an exhalation, bend to the legs. If your stretch is not enough, then bend your legs. With each breath, try to go lower into the slope. The movement comes from the abdomen, not from the head or chest.
