15 Minute Beginner-Friendly Stretch Routine
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If you are looking for a full body stretching routine to fit into your daily yoga practice, this series of fun stretches is exactly what you need. Incorporate this list of stretches into a 15 minute full body yoga flow. These stretching exercises are perfect for beginners wishing to transition into a more consistent yoga routine or those looking to add variety into their workout schedule.
Should You Stretch Everyday?
Stretching helps keep muscles strong and healthy, as well as increasing flexibility and range of motion. It’s important to not only incorporate mid day stretches into your life to prevent slouching posture (which can lead to back pain) and stiffness in your joints, but also for athletes post-workout to prevent injury as muscles cool down.
As with all exercises, make sure to add in your stretch sessions slowly, to avoid putting too much pressure on muscles or joints. Never stretch cold muscles, before your body is warmed up, as this can cause strain or injury from the muscles reflexive tightening. This dynamic stretch video below is the perfect way to add in a daily stretching routine safely and prevent over-stretching.
What is the Goal of this Workout?
Adding in a daily stretching routine is great for flexibility, posture, decrease muscle soreness and prevent injury. This list of stretches is beneficial to not only athletes and runners, but to anyone looking to add more movement into their daily life.
This workout is easily modified, which makes it perfect at-home full body stretch workout for beginners or advanced athletes.
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15 Minute Daily Stretch Routine
Suggested:
5-10 Minute Warmup (such as a walk)
Optional:
Hold the poses for an additional stretch.
Need a modification?
This flow is meant to be taken at your own pace. Move slowly and settle into positions that feel good for your body. If any stretch feels too strong, simply back off and work to deepen the stretch over time.
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Daily Morning Stretches Exercise List:
Do each exercise for one minute
Neck Rolls
How-to: In a seated position, roll your neck clockwise in large circles, warming up the muscles in your head, neck and shoulders. At 30 seconds, reverse the circle in a counter-clockwise position.
Form tip: Be mindful of how your body feels and move through the rolls at your own pace.
Shoulder Rolls
How-to: Warm up the shoulders by shrugging and retracting the shoulders to create large circles in a forward motion. At 30 seconds, reverse the direction and roll the shoulders backward in large circles.
Form tip: Squeeze the muscles of the chest and back as you roll the shoulders to recruit the muscles of the entire upper body.
Straight Leg Stretch
How-to: In an L-sit position, extend the legs long in front of you, pressing the hamstrings and calves into the mat, feet flexed. Reach to your toes, hinging at the hip.
Form tip: Avoid rounding your back as you reach towards your toes. Instead, focus on starting the hinge from the hip and bringing your chest to meet your knees. Use your breath to sink lower into the stretch on each exhale.
Modification: If you can’t touch your toes, (don’t worry, it’s a progression!) place your hands on your shins or thighs.
Seated Chest Opener
How-to: Clasp your hands behind your back and pull down on your arms, opening the shoulders and stretching through the chest as you bring your chest and face to the ceiling.
Form tip: With each exhale, sink deeper into the stretch. This is a great exercise for flexibility and mobility in the upper body, so don’t rush through the movements. Throughout the entire movement, keep the pull gentle and easy; do not jerk the shoulders down to try to get deeper in the stretch.
Cat Cow
How-to: In a quadruped position, stack the shoulders over the wrists, hips over the knees. On your next inhale, arch your back and bring your face to the sky. On your exhale, flow through the yoga stretch by pressing your hands into the mat, rounding the mat. Continue to alternate between the cat and cow positions with your breath.
Form tip: Warm up the spine by finding your biggest arch and your biggest rounded back.
Shoulder Opener + Twist
How-to: In the same quadruped position, take your arm and thread it underneath the armpit of the opposite arm. Bring the shoulder to the mat and turn your face in the direction of your outstretched hand. Take deep breaths and deepen the stretch by pressing the shoulder further into the mat. At 30 seconds, switch to the opposite side.
Form tip: This shoulder opener helps with flexibility through the core and chest. Reaching as far with the bottom arm across your mat will deepen the stretch.
Downward Facing Dog
How-to: In a pushup position, press the hips back and up, bringing the heels to meet the mat. Press the head between the arms to get added height in the core and hips.
Form tip: Press the hips to the sky by pressing through the hands and stretching the shoulders.Keep the arms and legs long and avoid bending. On each breath, deepen the stretch by pressing deeper into the hands and stretching the legs.
Modification: If you aren’t able to touch your heels to the mat just yet, peddle the knees to stretch through the calves and hamstrings.
Runner’s Lunge (each Side)
How-to: While still in the downward facing dog position, lift one leg from the mat and step it forward, between the hands into a deep lunge. Press the hips forward into a deep hip flexor stretch. At 30 seconds, send the leg backward into downward facing down, return it to the mat, and bring the opposite leg forward.
Form tip: Keep the forward knee over the ankle. If you want to work on added mobility, use your fingertips on either side of the front leg to balance and raise the chest up.
Modification: If the stretch is too intense, drop the back knee and press the hips forward.
Pigeon Pose (each Side)
How-to: Shift back into downward facing dog and send the leg forward between the hands. Drop the back knee. Keeping the front foot flexed, bring your knee and calf to the mat. Bring both hips in line to touch the mat. Drop to your forearms to deepen the stretch. At 30 seconds, press back up into downward facing dog and switch legs.
Form tip: Pigeon pose is an ideal hip opener. Sinking deep into the hip of the forward leg will increase flexibility and mobility but don’t over do it! With each breath, deepen the stretch. Focus on bringing both hips onto the mat before moving down onto your forearms.
Modification: Use a yoga block or blanket underneath your knee or hip while you work on your flexibility.
Cobra Pose
How-to: On your stomach, bring your hands underneath your shoulders and press up, arching at the back. Keep your legs long behind you, with heels together.
Form tip: Arch through the back and press into the mat with your hands. Breathe deeply through the stretch.
Modification: For a deeper thoracic spine stretch, look over each shoulder.
Child’s Pose
How-to: Open the knees wide and press the hips back onto the heels, face into the mat, with arms outstretched. Press into the mat as you send your hips backward for a deeper shoulder stretch.
Form tip: Opening your knees wide allows you to open your hips and sink into a glute and shoulder stretch. Pressing back with the hands keeps the shoulders active.