Thanksgiving is my second favorite day of the year, next to Christmas Day, and I love getting together with all our family and friends. However, sometimes in the busyness of the day, we can get totally stressed out and miss our mind-body connecting workout. I have created this stretch that you can do in just a few minutes to take the time to de-stress. Connecting the mind to the body with stretches and breathing can help you enjoy the day more and it can help you to be wise in your decisions on what you want to eat.
Make sure you are warm before beginning this stretch. You will need a bannister or ballet barre about hip height. You may need something to hold onto for balance.
Find something like a step or banister to take your front leg up onto. Straighten leg and flex foot. Square off hips. Breathe and hold the stretch about 30-40 seconds. You may need something for balance. Change sides.
Make it Easier: You may need to bend the knee a little bit if your hamstrings are tight.
Make it Harder: Lean over the leg without letting it bend.
From the Back of Leg Stretch, press heal and twist to the front leg looking over your front shoulder. You may need to hold onto something for balance. Hold for 30-40 seconds and change sides.
Take right leg on top of left thigh. Flex right foot. Bend left knee and keep back totally straight as you hinge forward at the hips. Turn the right knee out more to increase the stretch. Breathe a few deep breaths at around 30-40 seconds.
Take bent leg onto the top of a banister while raising standing heel. Turn back hip forward toward front hip. If you have the flexibility in the hips, you can slowly lower the heel.
Holding on to the banister, step feet back and pull away from your support. Bend back knee and shift weight into your front hip as you round your back. This stretch is amazing for creating mobility all the way down the arms, back and hips. Hold for up to one minute and then change sides.
Bring back leg forward and front leg back. Keep hips square and upper body hinged at the hips. Press front heel down to the floor and clasp hands behind your back. Press shoulders down, shoulder blades together and work toward straightening your arms and pressing heels of hands together. Hold stretch for 30-40 seconds while breathing. Change sides.
From the hinged upper body position, bring upper body upright while extending the spine.
Keeping knees bent and legs hips distance and parallel, fold upper body over with fingertips touching. Depending on your flexibility, you can work on straightening your legs. Breathe.
Taking your fingertips off the floor, clasp elbows and let upper body hang over the legs completely. Gently shake your head no and even more gently, nod your head yes. Feel the weight of your head decompress the cervical spine. Hold for up to one minute. When done, keep knees very bent and roll up one vertebra at a time. Your head will be the last thing that will rise. Breathe deeply and enjoy your holiday!
Pin the graphic below to your SBF Pinterest Board so you can reference this stretch quickly in the future!
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