Photo: Yoga 15
Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Benefits
-Opens up the hips
-Stretches the ankles, groin and lower back
-Alleviates lower back pain
Instructions
-Stand in Mountain pose with your feet hip-width apart.
-Inhale, sweep your arms out and up. Exhale, swan dive down into forward fold.
-Heel-toe your feet to the edges of your mat, bend your knees and come down into a squat.
-Bring your upper body in between your thighs and touch your palms together.
-Inhale, lengthen your spine. Exhale, press your triceps against your knees to open up your hips. Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths, in and out through your nose.
-To come out of the pose, bring your hands behind you and sit back on your mat.
Modification
-If you have tight Achilles tendons, calves or hamstrings and your heels don’t touch the ground, you can stay up on your toes with your heels lifted or support them on a cushion.
Variation: Squat Twist
Photo: Yoga 15
-Bring your right hand to the mat for a twist. Inhale, sweep your left hand up to the sky – look up to your fingertips. Twist from the base of your spine.
-Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths, in and out through your nose. On an exhalation, bring your left hand down and switch sides. —Inhale, sweep your right hand up to the sky. Hold the pose for 5 deep breaths.
Contraindications
-Hip, back or knee injury
Find more yoga poses and routines designed specifically for surfers here.
