Daily Stretching Benefits, Tips & Poses

With the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives, we often forget to take a pause and give some rest to our bodies. We tend to just leave exercising for tomorrow or it is not even on the list!

In this day and age, a lot of us really do get into the hustle culture even if it takes a toll on us — as long as we are in. If you are here and reading this because you want to make a change for yourself, then you have definitely come to the right place!

In this blog, we will be talking about daily stretching benefits, may it be standard stretching, traditional yoga or with aerial yoga.

Today, we will be sharing with you that even stretching does not have to be complicated or time-consuming and we’ll also give you a few easy yoga poses that you can get into at any time of the day, as long as you have your mat ready or even your yoga swing!

 

Let’s Stretch Daily!

According to the Mayo Clinic, stretching has a lot of benefits aside from improving our flexibility.

Stretching may also help in improving your motion and reducing the risk of injuries!

But of course, there are right and ways of stretching and we will get into that as well.

The daily stretching benefits that you may experience are:

• Improve your performance in physical activities
• Decrease your risk of injuries
• Help your joints move through their full range of motion
• Increase muscle blood flow
• Enable your muscles to work most effectively
• Improve your ability to do daily activities

 

Hold up! Before you stretch…

Aside from these daily stretching benefits, as we said earlier, other points remain to consider before stretching.

You might think, “But it’s just stretching!” and our answer to that is no! Stretching plays a vital role in your overall fitness. There is no point in being able to hustle through all of your workout sessions if you are not taking rests and doing slow routines in between.

The Mayo Clinic also wants us to take note of the following:

1. Stretching is NOT a warmup. You will get shocked muscles! Stretching is done to soothe the muscles, not shock them. As a pre-workout, we recommend doing light cardio first as your warmup and then after when you proceed with your stretching routine. Stretching is not your warmup! But even so, stretching AFTER your workout would be better.
2. Find your balance. Although it is really cool to be able to execute stretches like that of gymnasts but the question here is, is your form proper? Are you really targeting what needs to be stretched? Oftentimes, we were already contented about being able to do a stretch but turns out we are doing it wrong! Remember the next time you stretch, make sure that you are doing it correctly and not just doing it for the sake of finishing.
3. Avoid bouncing. Try not to bounce! Although sometimes tempting, bouncing is not a part of stretching. The bouncing movement somehow resembles and engages your muscles to do reps which is clearly not the goal.
4. Hold the stretch. Another key to making your stretching session effective is to hold your stretch according to the recommended duration for your age, or as directed by your trainer. Just like in cooking pasta, there is a thing as an under-stretched and over-stretched here. Under-stretch means simply that you have not stretched your muscles and bones enough to achieve the goal or to soothe them. Similarly, on the other hand, over-stretching means that you have stretched too much and might have caused yourself strain or even injury! Just do things slowly and on time.
5. Pain is NOT the goal. No pain, no gain — they say. But in stretching, we are seriously not aiming for pain. There is a reason why practitioners recommend that you do stretching after a workout because of its restorative properties and not to put you in any more pain! Keep in mind that when you stretch, there might be little aches here and there but it is not supposed to be excruciating. If it is, then we do recommend seeing a physician, just to be sure.
6. Incorporate fluid movements. Once you are well-acquainted with stretching, then you can go and try incorporating movements here and there. These movements may come from Pilates, Tai Chi, or Yoga! Doing so helps build your strength and endurance. Additional plus points on your fitness journey!
7. Stretch as scheduled, in the schedule. Stretching is arguably the simplest exercise that you can do for your body! The simpleness of it makes it a go-to fitness routine for everyone. And it’s not just for working out, you can also stretch before and after working, going to school, or simply before starting your day and when going to bed. Practice setting a specific time of stretching so that your body will also be aware and will know that it is #fitnesstime.

 

Stretching Poses

As promised, we will share with you yoga stretching poses that you can do anytime and anywhere.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

This pose is what we yogis also refer to as “the mother of all poses” mainly because most poses originate from this one. This is basic, literally very easy, but beneficial when done correctly and with the right intentions.

Stand tall on your mat. Keep the soles of your feet flat on the ground and transfer your weight to your heel. You must engage your quads and let your arms hang by your side.

The mountain pose is great for alignment and grounding. Stay in this pose for one minute or more. This makes us feel like a superhero too!

 

Downward Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

This next pose is definitely of the original favorites of every yogi out there or even those that include this as a part of their cool-down routines!

The Downward Dog Pose is best for stretching the spine, particularly the lumbar area. It also targets your shoulders and hamstrings. It provides a delicate but at the same time inclusive stretch for the entire body all in one pose!

From the mountain pose, raise your arms up and fold your body forward until your hands have touched the ground. Make sure that your legs are straight and the soles of your feet are planted on the ground. This might be hard at first, especially if you are a beginner so it is okay if you tiptoe a little or adjust the fold of your body.

Make sure that you are forming an inverted V with your body as you do this one. You must feel the stretch, again, in your shoulders, back, and thighs. Remember to keep on breathing through this one and give your muscles the stretch it needs.

Stay in this pose for 30 seconds up to a minute.

Aerial Yoga Variation: Use a yoga hammock to level up your downward dog pose and turn it into an aerial downward dog! Adjust your hammock to be just about the height of your hips. Insert your upper body and lean forward until your hands touch the ground. It still has similar instructions to the usual downward dog pose only that in this version, you must take advantage of the support that the yoga swing provides.

 

Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parvakonasana)

This next pose could feel harder than our previous poses. The extended side angle pose targets the inner thighs and legs, and also the arms and back. If it feels wrong or too hard for you right now, then you can shorten the time you execute this or skip this one for now.

Stand with your feet wide apart on your mat. Keep your left foot pointing forward, while your right foot pointing toward the right.

Then, reach down on your right side with your right hand as well and bend your right knee as you do so. Let your palm touch the ground and raise your other arm up straight to the sky. Bend your body as well.

Do not forget to do the same on the other side. Do this for up to 10 reps if you can, but 5 could make do. This pose is also good for rechanneling energy into your body as well as grounding.

 

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

Another relaxing and good pose for recovery! The standing forward bend pose is probably familiar since our teachers way back in fitness class made us do this. And here you think that you might not be able to use it in the future.

Our starting pose? You guessed it, the mountain pose! Just do the same as we did last time with our first pose. Then reach down on the ground and let your arms fall naturally as you do so.

If you feel tightness in your legs, then you are doing it right. However, if it is too much for you, then you can ease your joints there and fold your knees only a little bit. Keep stretching and stay in this pose for up to one minute.

 

Garland Pose (Malasana)

This next pose is great for opening up the hips and stretching the thighs! If you are one of those people who spend a lot of time sitting, standing or have back problems, this pose would be great for you!

Standing on your mat, place your feet quite apart and put your hands in a praying position. Then, sit back down on the ground, but not touching it with your glutes, and let your inner thighs open as you do so. Keep in mind that you must do this slowly and in control so we can avoid any injuries.

Then, stand back up and repeat. Keep your back and head aligned as well. Exhale as you go down and inhale as you go up. Do this steadily for up to 15 reps or time yourself for 30 seconds.

These are only a few of the poses that you can do if you ever decide to do some stretching here and there. Yet, you can also try aerial yoga if you are up for a challenge!

 

Is aerial yoga for simple stretching?

Yes! We at Gravotonics can proudly say that aerial yoga is even for everything. It is an inclusive activity that caters to all people with different needs, and varying intensities!

Aerial Hammocks and Yoga Swings literally elevate your stretching game. You can even switch it up to a full aerial yoga routine if you want to, all with the use of a single piece of equipment and nothing more!

 

Can I do stretching or aerial yoga every day?

Another yes! Aerial Yoga has a wide variety of poses that focuses on what your body needs. It can range from simple stretches to complex, muscle targeting, endurance building poses that make you more fit the more you practice it. Yet, if you are a beginner and have a very active lifestyle, you can ease down your routines to at least three times a week but try to stretch every day!

 

Stretch the day away!

Giving yourself some “me time” does not have to be too hard. There are many daily stretching benefits, and even a little bit of stretching goes a long way and shows care for your body.

It is important for most of us to just keep working and striving especially with our chosen careers, but we also have to keep in mind that we should listen to our body all the time especially if it is already pleading for even a few ounces of rest.

The hustle culture is productive and empowering for all of us, but it is high time we also embrace the care culture, the slow culture, and the nurturing culture, and give ourselves some break.

Yet, it is truly hard to break away from the habits that we have developed in order to get to where we are all standing now.

So, we are reminding you to stretch out. Do some grounding. Remind your soul that you are still here. You can dream as far as your eyes could see but keep your feet on the ground and just stretch.