Stretching Exercises
Tip: Stretch in the bath or after a shower. Anytime the muscles are warm, they're more flexible.Shoulder Release
Sit back on your heels. (If this is hard on the knees, put a little cushion between your legs, your rear, and under your knees.) Clasp your hands behind your back and move your upper body forward until your forehead is touching the floor. Keeping your hands clasped, raise them toward your head and hold. Let your arms hang and relax. You can also do this stretch standing up.
Hip Press
Place your hands firmly on a table in front of you, shoulder-width apart. Step back from the table. Bend one knee, lift the other leg, and cross it over the knee. Sit back into the hip. Reverse and repeat.
The Yoga Cobra Stretch
Lie full length, flat on your stomach, ankles slightly apart. Bend your arms and place the palms of your hands flat on the ground underneath your shoulders. Slowly push upward so that the top of your spine lifts off the ground, being careful not to arch. Don't strain the neck, but keep your head in a line with the upper part of your back. Hold the stretch, return to the resting position, and repeat.
Arm Relaxer
A great stretch for opening out the shoulders and unkinking tension is to do the arm movements of a yoga exercise called the "Eagle." Place one elbow over the other, straight in front of you. Then snake your arms around each other, with your hands touching palms to fingers in a prayer-like position - almost in line with your eyes. Hold, then reverse.
Excerpted from Ageless Beauty
