Calming our Minds and Bodies: Yoga, Stretching & Breathing Activities

Stretching your body has many benefits. It helps to increase your flexibility, your range of motion, your performance in physical activities, the blood flow to your muscles, your posture, and is great for stress relief by calming your mind! Best of all, stretching requires no equipment and can be done anywhere, by people of all ages. You can stretch while watching TV, listening to music, or talking on the phone. So let’s get stretching!

Here are a few stretches to begin with:

  1. Child’s Pose
    • This is a stretch taken from yoga, but can also be used for more of a full body stretch. Gets on your knees with feet together. Sit on your heels and bend your body forward until your forehead touches the ground. Bring your arms around to each side of the body, resting with your palms facing towards the sky. Hold the pose for 30 seconds, and then return back to an upright kneeling position
  2. Toe Touches
    • This movement targets largely the muscles of the legs, especially the calves and hamstrings. From a standing position, bend over at the waist and reach for your toes with feet together. If you feel pain, stretch just as far as is comfortable. Variation: This stretch can be done from a sitting position. Sit with legs outstretched and together, then bends forward reaching for your toes or as far as is comfortable. In both stretches, try to hold the stretch for 10-20 seconds and then release.
  3. Shoulder Circles
    • This exercise targets the shoulders. Shrug your shoulders and rotate them forward and down in a circle. Switch directions after five or six turns by shrugging the shoulders and then moving backwards in a circle.
  4. Side Bends
    • This stretch focuses on your side, stomach (oblique) muscles. Stand up straight with your right arm straight up touching the side of your right ear and bend to the left side, slowly moving the fingers on your left hand down toward the outside of your left knee, while bending at the waist. Then change sides and continue until you have done 5 side bends on each side.
  5. Overhead Reach
    • This is a simple, yet effective stretch that works the upper body, shoulders, and arms. Stand up straight with feet together. With your back straight, reach your arms straight up and overhead, without locking your elbows.
    • Variation: this can also be done sitting or lying down on a mat. Try to reach your hands away from your feet. If you are standing, try to go up on your tiptoes which will also stretch your calf muscles.