We've all been there. Convinced in ourselves we are not flexible enough to do yoga. One of my main struggles have been my tight hamstrings and my overthinking that I will never be able to do the splits. Let's let go of this negative mindset together!
Believe it or not, you don’t need to have long or flexible hamstrings to practice yoga. Nevertheless, flexibility in the hamstrings is essential for lots of things like running, dancing, walking, sports and posture. Show yourself some love with this stretch sequence.
Downward Dog
Move into Downward Dog and bend & stretch your legs, this is great to warm up. While facing down, bend deeply and straighten knees slowly and with control as your warm-up. Do this around 5-10 times.
Forward Fold
Lift up half-way to stretch, with your feet slightly apart, micro-bending your knees with a flat back try to hold here for 3-5 breaths. Then wiggle feet apart, hold both elbows, knees bent, spine relaxed for ragdoll pose, swing here for 5 breaths.
Low-Lunge Half Split
Continue with a low lunge and hold for 3 breaths to stretch your hip flexor then slowly shift weight backwards, straightening the front leg hold here for 3 seconds. Move forward and back again from here and repeat 5 times for each leg.
Lying Knee to Nose
In the last pose, move into lying on your back and lift one leg into the air. You can use your hands, or a strap around the leg, to draw the knee towards you. Try not to worry about touching your nose, it’s not the goal really, the goal is to increase your personal hamstring flexibility. Hold for a few breaths then return to neutral and repeat a couple times before switching legs.
What I'm wearing
Thank you, Svenja
