Feeling a bit stiff and lacking flexibility in your body? With the spring here there is no better time to stretch your muscles & joints. Let me to take you through three tension releasing, body liberating, joint opening stretches that will rejuvenate your tight muscles out of winter just in time for the new season.

The Chest Opener

We are generation curl-forward, spending all day hunched over laptops and phones, creating an array of knock-on postural misalignment from the neck all the way down to the lower back. Reverse this unnatural position by pulling the shoulders back and open with the help of something stretchy (I used a thin theraband here, but even a scarf works). Change the angle of the arms to release different muscles of the shoulders and hold for 30 seconds where it feels the most restricted. Repeat a few times and feel immediately freer, straighter and younger.

The Hip Stretcher

Root your feet firmly on the ground in the widest lunge you can create. In opposition, send energy far away, out from your fingertips behind you. This is the most wonderful stretch to release tight hip flexors from sitting down all day. It’s also a gentle release for the quadriceps, psoas and shoulder girdle. Build this stretch slowly over the course of 1 minute by expanding your energy and then gently switching to repeat to the other side.

The Hamstrings  Release 

This is my go-to stretch if I’m feeling particularly tight because it’s gentle on the body and rejuvenates your circulation and energy system. It is also great for bodies that have less flexibility in general because you can set your feet nice and wide apart to really get into the stretch. Take both legs as wide as you can while standing, slowly role down and try to arch your back open to feel a lengthening in the hamstrings and remember to breathe deeply to send fresh oxygen to the brain. Take your time in this stretch, holding for at least a minute.

More exercises on how to improve your flexibility and release the tension in your joins you will find in our classes :

https://www.balletbodysculpture.com/our-classes

Or, if you are away from our locations, online classes & my specially designed programs is a great way to exercise with the professional guidance at home: 

https://www.balletbodysculpture.com/online-classes/

I look forward to seeing you in class! 

Asta x