Kneel on a yoga mat and reach your arms in front of you with palms facing down. Sit back on your heels and lower your arms and forehead to the floor (or a yoga block, if you need some extra support). Take five deep, slow breaths, then release the position. Stretch in child’s pose once before doing the rest of the exercises in this part, and once after completing the exercises.
Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes facing slightly outward (don’t force them). Your knees should be relaxed, not locked or hyperextended. Reach your arms in front of you at shoulder height. Look in front of you just above your hands. This should keep your head in a neutral position through the squat. You don’t want to look down or look up too far. Exhale as you move your hips backward. Pretend that you are sitting down on an imaginary chair. Make sure your heels don’t lift as you sit. Once you are as low as you can go without your back arching or heels lifting, hold the position for three long, slow breaths, then release. Repeat three times.
Begin by standing in a comfortable position with your knees relaxed and your arms hanging loosely to your sides. Step forward with one foot and lean forward, keeping your back neutral (don’t arch it or over-flatten it) and the other knee bent. As you enter the lunge, place your hands on your front thigh and lower your pelvis until your back knee is parallel to the ground. Keep your hips facing forward. Squeeze your buttocks and hold the lunge for a deep breath. Then return to standing.
Begin by standing with your feet hip-distance apart and your knees relaxed. Don’t lock your knees during this stretch. Slowly exhale as you bend forward from the hips. Imagine that your head is very heavy as you sink toward the floor and let your body hang down over your legs. (This is why it’s called the ragdoll pose. ) Clasp your hands around your elbows, as if you were forming a cradle. Don’t hold them too tightly, just enough to keep your arms off the floor. Ensure that your weight is balanced evenly. Your instinct may be to center your body weight in your heels, but you should be firmly connecting with the floor with your whole foot. Gently straighten your legs by using your quadriceps (the large muscles at the front of your thighs) to push your legs backward. Don’t lock your knees or force your legs to straighten past a comfortable point. Take ten long, slow breaths while hanging, then gently return to standing.
Begin by sitting on the floor with an upright, relaxed back. If possible sit up against a wall to keep your back supported. Your shoulders should be back, not rounded or hanging forward. Bend one leg at the knee and bring your foot toward your body. Repeat with the other leg. Don’t force your legs farther than they will go comfortably. The soles of your feet should be facing each other. Gently press your knees toward the floor and lean forward over your feet. You should feel some stretching in your groin and lower back, but stop if you feel discomfort. Hold the stretch for three long, slow breaths, then return to sitting.
Hold this position for 30 seconds. (To help yourself stay balanced, lean over on your hands and use them to support part of your weight. )
Once sitting, stretch your arms in front of you and lean forward as far as you can. Your hands should touch the ground if possible. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds. You will feel the stretch in your lower back and your inner thighs, but you should stop if you feel pain. Return to the sitting straddle position.
To keep your knees from hyper-extending, you can hold a rolled towel between your thighs while you do the toe touch. The gripping action should keep you from pushing your knees too far back.
You may find that you have to bend your legs slightly the first several times you do a toe touch. That’s okay. Each time you repeat your toe touch, try to bend your knees a little less. Don’t lock or hyper-extend your knees as you bend forward. While your legs should be straight, your knees should feel flexible.
