8 Easy Yoga Poses to Relieve Tight Legs

Does your work involve standing up and/ or walking around all day? Or driving for long hours or just sitting at the office, but unfortunately, the space that you have at your desk is cramped and you have no place to stretch your legs out. Most likely, your legs also feel the pain of it..

What better way to relieve tight legs than a stretch?

Being worn out from a strenuous day may make you want to go to bed straight away and let the world fade in the distance, but allotting a few minutes of self-care is worth it. Be it doing your evening routine such as skincare, reading a book, keeping up with that TV show you are watching, or to do some exercising!

Also, there are some of us, who, even after a long day, still feel restless and awake..

In either case, we are going to learn a few easy yoga poses that will help relieve tight legs and ease your tired body. Whether it is from running around the whole day or from a career or hobby like athletics, these poses will definitely help ease your leg muscles (and feet too!) and make for a good rest or better sleep.

 

Leg-focused Yoga Poses For You To Try

Yoga can be a way for you to de-stress, calm your whole self down, and let sleep take you in. But there is a problem: your legs feel so strained that it is all you can think about!

Worry less because here are some easy leg-focused yoga poses that you can try at home or even at work, if it allows, to help you stretch the pain away.and also ease restless leg syndrome.

These are basic and easy to follow but will surely give you results that you will crave more and more at the end of every day. Grab a mat and find yourself a space where you can breathe and ease your mind.

Feel the air coming in and out of your lungs and let peace surround your entire being. You can wear your headphones if you need to block out any distractions that may be happening around you and for a more direct connection to your chosen music. Okay lets get started to relieve tight legs..

 

1. Knee Hug Pose

The Knee Hug Pose is a good starter for a soothing leg yoga flow. This will help you ground yourself and align your intentions. This also allows for better mental stability, especially for those who like to get their floor times into their workout routines.

Lie down on your mat with your back flat on the ground, then bring both of your knees up to your chest and hug them.

Stretch your tailbone up as you bring your thighs in. Use your arms to hug your knees. Keep the back of your head on the ground. Stay in this pose for up to two minutes. Keep in mind your breathing patterns.

 

2. Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

This is one of the best poses that you can do to relieve tight legs and help your lower extremities to recover from any strenuous activity you have done for the day or if you simply want to relax.

This pose is a semi-inversion, so it will help in draining lymphatic fluids that have accumulated in your lower extremities. These will help decrease swelling in your legs and feet, and for the betterment of your circulation especially when you have been staying on your feet for so long.

Find a wall that can support you well. Lie down on the ground and lift your legs straight up against the wall. At this point, it might be too hard for you to keep your sitting portions intact with the wall and that is fine!

Do not force yourself to stick it because this might cause you more strain. Remember to do these exercises slowly and controlled, especially if it is just your first time.

Leave some space from the wall and your buttocks but try your best to stick most of your lower limbs. Do not tighten your knees. Relax your arms by your sides. Stay in this pose for three to five minutes. You can also up it to ten, but do not rush yourself. You will get better and more flexible if you practice it day by day.

 

3. Wide Angle Bend Wall Pose (Upavistha Konasana Variation)

A variation of the last pose, the Wide Angle Bend Wall Pose begins the stretch in these basic leg-wall poses. This one helps open up the thighs, groin, and hips.

From the last pose, slowly widen your legs to your sides forming a “V”. It is important that you do not force your legs and let gravity do the work. Keep your arms lying beside you. Stay in this pose for three to five minutes.

Once done, slowly go back to the last pose (legs up the wall) and do your best not to do it hastily as this might cause unwanted straining.

 

4. Supported Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana Variation)

This pose is another variation of the leg-wall poses and the incorporation of the sitting butterfly pose that we know. The Supported Butterfly Pose allows for the stretching of the inner thighs, groin, and hips similar to the last pose, but much more.

From the Wide Angle Bend Pose, bring your feet together and fold your knees as they point towards you and to their respective sides — just very similar to the sitting butterfly pose but with a supporting wall. Do not force your legs to stretch and again just let gravity do most of the work.

Remember to maintain a bit of spacing between the wall and your lower back. Adjust your body until the stretch is more comfortable and the targeted areas are stretched.

Practice your breathing and stay in this pose for three to five minutes. It is alright if you can only retain the pose for a minute. Your endurance will increase as you practice these poses every day.

 

5. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

You will not need the wall in this pose. The Happy Baby Pose is literally how we see most babies whenever they are happily playing on their mats.

This pose is good for releasing stress and overall relaxation. It induces a burst of joy and just plain increases one’s happy hormones! Lying flat back on your mat, bring your knees close to your chest as you hold the soles of your feet. Your ankles must be above your knees.

This might come off hard at first and the back of your thighs must feel tight but that is okay. Stretch your legs out for as how far your arms can reach. Bend your knees a little if you feel uncomfortable. You can ease the stretch until you get used to it.

Swing your body side to side, slow and controlled. Remember to keep your balance and practice your breathing techniques as you go. Do this for up to a minute or two.

 

6. Forward Fold

Sit on your mat with your legs extended in front of you. Keep your back straight as much as possible when you do the stretch. This pose is good for the lower back and your hips. Of course, we won’t only work with your legs! It is also important to do the other nearing areas.

Slowly bend your upper body forward as your arms reach for your toes. If you can’t reach your toes just yet, it’s fine! Just try to reach the farthest that you can.

Breathe. Close your eyes as you ground yourself. Remember your intentions. Stay in this pose for as long as three minutes.

 

7. Sitting Leg Cross Pose

Sit back up to our initial position. Bend your left knee, foot flat on the floor. Bring your right leg up and cross over on top of your left thigh, at just about your ankle.

Sit high and straighten your back. You will feel tightness in the back of your things and lumbar region.

If you are a bit flexible, try cradling your right leg like a baby using your arms and twisting your body to the right side.

If it’s too hard to twist, then just do the pose with the cradling. Do this for up to five minutes on both sides.

 

8. Cobbler’s Pose

Going back to a sitting position, with the soles of your feet touching, let your shoulders and back ease down.

This is my favorite pose to relieve tight legs, and you don’t necessarily need to push yourself forward. Rather, let your body fall forward by itself, but not totally.

As you stretch forward, lightly press your elbows down to your legs to stretch your inner thighs a bit more.

At this point, you can do little movements as you relax your shoulders and keep on breathing. Keep your hands near or holding your feet.

Focus on the tightness that you feel in your inner thighs. Do this pose for one to three minutes or for longer.

 

Relieve Tight Legs

If you feel like you are still up for more, then go for another set! This flow is on the easier level so you can repeat it for up to how many times as you want but do not do it too much! We are working on relaxing and relieving the pain here, not adding up more.

You can also add other poses that also target other areas of your body such as the cobra pose — your possibilities are endless in yoga! You can even incorporate it into your usual routine as warm up or cool down.

The poses that we recommended above relieve tight legs are best for before going to bed, but they would also work for when you want to take a break at the middle of the day! You can do it even if you are not wearing workout clothes, regular ones would definitely do.

The flow that we provided is not just for the working people, but for athletes too! If you are not a fan of ice baths to relieve muscle tension, why not try yoga and it might be the answer.

May the sport involve running, jumping, or even swimming, nothing can beat turning up that calming playlist, maybe lighting up some scented candles, and stretching those tired calves and arms before lying on your bed.

If you want to learn more about yoga and discover more poses that are not just for your legs, finding a welcoming yoga community might be the refresher you are looking for.

 

Giving Yourself Some Self-Care

With the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, we tend to forget to take care of ourselves and just keep on going about our tasks and other aspirations in life but the thing is, what is the point in all of our hardships if we do not give some time for our body to relax and for our mind to be at ease?

Giving yourself a few minutes of handpicked routines will help you be more focused and more efficient with whatever you do.

As we enter back into our homes at the end of the day, a lot of us just go straight to sleep and we really cannot help but do so because there are indeed days that are just plain exhausting. Yet, if you happen to find the will to pause for a while and think of doing something to help your body recover, then absolutely good for you.

 

Health Benefits of Stretching Your Legs Through Yoga

We are familiar with the benefits that yoga gives us especially when it comes to muscle relaxation and stretching, and respiratory improvement. But another thing that we can get from it, particularly with the Viparita Karani or the “Legs Up the Wall” pose is its contribution to the betterment of our circulatory system.

To put it simply, standing for long periods of time might cause our blood and lymphatic fluids to accumulate in our lower extremities causing swelling and fatigue in those areas. To relieve this, doing the Legs Up the Wall for a few minutes every day will help in draining the fluids and recirculating them back to your upper extremities.

Stretching to relieve tight legs after a long day improves the quality of your sleep. Sometimes, there are nights when the pain is too much that it disrupts our sleeping schedule. Doing a few yoga poses before hitting the sheets allows for faster and better recovery of your thigh and leg muscles leading to a more satisfying sleep and a well-rested body ready for another day.

 

Other benefits that you can get from yoga are: 

1. Clarity of mind
2. Better breathing and respiratory benefits due to patterns you will follow and practice
3. Relief from muscle strain (our goal!)
4. Decompress your bones after a long working day
5. Better sleeping hours
6. Better muscle recovery
7. Allow for a well-rested body

Doing a recovery yoga routine has been proven to aid in one’s sleep and like what we have been saying, it allows your body to heal faster and rest properly. Add, let’s say, a good skincare routine? What a way to end the day!

 

Spice Up Your Workouts With Aerial Yoga!

Aerial Yoga is a variation that involves one’s suspension using specialized equipment strong enough to support and hold you up in the air.

This form of yoga allows you to reach farther heights, like literally, and achieve yoga poses that benefit your mind and body in a supported manner, including poses to relieve tight legs.

Do not hesitate to splurge on yourself if you are thinking of investing in Aerial Yoga. This workout might be dangerous if not done correctly with subpar equipment.

Try our Aerial Yoga Hammocks now! Rest assured that they are worth every penny and will give you the most satisfying and soothing stretches you can do.