It’s a bit of a cruel joke on us humans that we can get muscle and joint stiffness from both exercise, and from a lack of exercise. Also, as most of us over age 30 are well aware, getting older seems to coincide with feeling stiff more often…
This happens as wear and tear on the body mounts and lubricating fluid inside the joints drops and cartilage becomes thinner. Plus poor posture, sprains and strains, and even insect bites can all contribute to feeling stiff at one point or another.
Warming up those joints and muscles by stretching is one of the best ways to shake off stiffness and improve flexibility, and yoga has the added benefits of helping you strengthen your core, improve poor posture, and reduce stress, all of which are likely contributing to your stiffness in the first place. It’s easy to do at home, it can be done in a few minutes, and you can get by with a blanket or towel or simple carpet if you don’t have a yoga mat. Some simple yoga exercises can also be beneficial for recovery after surgery.
Check out these beginner to intermediate yoga poses for stiffness you can do today…
Yoga Poses for Beginners
Grab your tights and jump right in!
1. Child’s Pose
A classic yoga pose that virtually anyone can do (excepting people with knee injuries), Child’s Pose can be good for pain and stiffness in a wide range of areas, including the back, hips, shoulders, neck, and more. It’s also a nice way to unwind and just breath.
2. Triangle Pose
Your chest, shoulders, spine, hip flexors, and calves all get in on the de-stiffening with this pose, which also strengthens your core and increases your mobility while opening everything up.
3. Cat/Cow Pose
Hanging your head to look at your phone for hours a day can create serious neck stiffness. Loosen it up with this simple but effective yoga pose.
Intermediate Difficulty Yoga Poses
These poses aren’t necessarily more complex, but they may require you to practice doing them while keeping your balance, or work up to them to accomplish them without modifying…
4. Locust Pose
Trickier than it looks to perfect, this pose carries a host of benefits beyond alleviating stiffness from the shoulders and back–it tones everything from core muscles to gluteus, hamstrings, adductors, calves, and even liver and kidneys. It’s even believed to improve digestion as it stimulates organs in the abdomen, relieving stomach pain and cramps. Just be sure not to scrunch up your neck…
5. Dancer Pose
You may need a strap around your foot as a way to modify this pose, but even still it’s great for undoing the tightness in your hips from sitting all day.
6. Eagle Pose
A great stretch for the shoulders especially, Eagle Yoga Pose strengthens your hips, ankles, thighs, and calves, and some practitioners even report getting relief from sciatica and backaches.
Get At Home Training with Pledge To Fitness®
If you’re more comfortable exercising in your home as opposed to the gym, you can take advantage of our Home Personal Training. It’s the same great program in a virtual format; the convenience is tough to beat!
