STRETCH

Welcome to the stressful, too-many-parties, family-filled, end-of-year wrap up, glittering time of year. You know what you need to do? STRETCH! This series should take less than 20 minutes. Make sure to do the whole sequence in order for the full effect. Enjoy!

1. Breathe. Lie on your back and take a few full breaths. This stretches your insides and is an important first step to any stretching process.

2. Hamstring Stretch. Draw one knee into your chest and loop a strap (belt, long towel, scarf) around the sole of your foot. Extend your leg to the sky at an angle that allows you to keep an even pelvis and long spine. 1 minute each side.

3. Figure Four. Cross your right ankle over your left knee and bring your left leg to tabletop. Hold behind the back of your left leg and gently draw your legs towards your chest keeping your lower back long. You may like adding a gentle rock from side to side. 1 minute each side.

4. Quad Stretch. Lie on your belly with long legs. Make sure you line your self up in a straight line (not like a banana!). Bend one leg, bringing your heel towards your pelvis. Hold your ankle and direct your knee straight down. 1 min each side.

Hamstring Stretch

Figure Four

Quad Stretch

5. Hip Flexor Stretch. Stand vertically on your knees and step one foot forward into an upright lunge. Use your abdominals to lift your hip points and level your pelvis. Tuck your tail slightly and gently shift your aligned pelvis and spine forward into a stretch. 45 sec each side.

6. Straddle. Sit with your legs open to the sides like a large "V". If you cannot sit comfortably like this, sit up on a blanket or yoga blocks. Point your knees and toes up to the ceiling and have a very upright spine. If you are able, slowly tip your spine forward, hinging from your hips to move deeper into the stretch. 1 minute.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Straddle

7. Chest. Stand clasping your hands behind your pelvis. Reach your knuckles down towards the ground as your open the center of your chest to the sky. 30 seconds, and then switch the way your fingers are crossed. Repeat!

8. Neck. Here is a link to a series of neck stretches we think are fabulous for relieving neck tension. Trust us.

9. Breathe. Yes, again :).

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take three breaths

Not only does healthy breathing give us needed oxygen, it settles our minds and gives us space from the inside out. Here are some other ways to expand the practice of how you think about your breath.

One way to think of the house of your lungs (your ribcage) is like a series of bucket handles. These handles attach to the spine on one side and your sternum and cartiladge on the other side. When you inhale the ribs move slightly out and upwards, like the bucket handle is swinging up towards the sky.  When you exhale, the ribs soften down and in towards your center.

The main movers that cause the ribs to make this motion is a group of muscles called your intercostals. The inner layer and outer layer make a cross stitch pattern. The inner layer is responsible for forced exhalation and the outer layer is responsible for opening the ribs and allowing for inhalation. When you breathe it is not only important to let your diaphragm move down (which makes your belly rise), but it is also important to allow your ribs to expand and release. When you don't allow this motion, you are not getting the most out of your breaths and are probably holding on to unnecessary tension.

Mind body practices such as Pilates and yoga incorporate many exercises that open, strengthen and enhance our breathing apparatus. Breathing is crucial to all of our underlying strength and stability. One thing we can do to show our whole, better self to the world is to take time to breathe and center ourselves so we can enter the world clearly and with care for ourselves and others.

Pema Chodron talks about a "pause practice" where you take a moment in your day (or multiple moments) to pause and take three mindful breaths. You can read more about that here. 

Here are some exercises to get you going. Happy breathing everyone!

This image shows how when looking from above, the rib resembles a bucket handle.

You can see the intercostals in between the ribs running diagonally.

Here you can see the relationship between the lung and the diaphragm and how the intercostals and ribcage lie right on top.

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