Mini 17

This is the third self-care article. The first two were Isometrics and Inner Peace.
Many stretching exercises like the ones below can help keep the body limber, improve posture and circulation, reduce stress, and ease muscle stiffness… (and help us cope with the turbulent changes underway in the world).
The small set below can also ease lower back pain.
Best to find your own comfortable pace for each exercise, so duration can vary.
According to my medical expert pal John (see the comments after the article), shoulder strength needs to be taken into account for some of the exercises. Exercise #2 can help you decide if your shoulders are stable enough to do #4 and #5.

1. Turn in circles:  Stand up and turn in a circle 25 times at a comfortable speed.

This first one is obviously not a stretching exercise, but it gets the body ready, it’s good for balance and coordination, and it’s easy! If you get too dizzy, slow down or sit for a while… (unless you happen to be a 4-year-old on the lawn… in which case, go wild 🙂 )

2.  Neck and back stretch:  While kneeling: 1) Back straight, arms to the side, shoulders relaxed, 2) Move your hands behind you and grasp the first two fingers of one hand with the other hand, and arch your back inward. 3) Lean forward and down, and tilt head up. 4) Relax the arms and head on the floor and arch your back outward. Then back up to original position to repeat the process for a total of, say, six times.

3.  Lower back stretch:  1) While lying down, 2) raise one knee as shown, then 3) flop it over the opposite leg, using the opposite hand to press the knee downward to the floor. Hold it for 10 or 20 seconds or whatever feels right.

Do it, say, 5 times with each leg.

4. Down-Up (crab stretch):  1) Sit (down) with your legs together in front of you, put your palms down on the floor beside you, and look down. Then… 2) raise your torso (up) toward the sky and bend your head back so you’re looking behind you. Then return to the sitting (down) position, looking down.

Do that down-up exercise 25 times or so. Option: coordinate it with your breathing: Breathe in while sitting (down), breathe out while stretching (up).

5. Up-Down (cobra pushups):  1) Hands and feet on the floor, butt in the air, head down, back parallel(ish) with the floor. 2) Keeping your arms straight, lower your body to the “cobra” position with knees and toes touching the floor and your eyes looking up at the ceiling. Then return to the up position.

Again, do that up-down exercise 25 times or so. Option: coordinate it with your breathing: Breathe in for the up position, breathe out while stretching (down).

6. Leg stretch-relax: Lie on the floor in a doorway (or next to the upright end of a wall or a square column or a tall, sturdy piece of furniture…) so that one hip is next to the upright corner. 1) Lift the opposite leg—the outside one—and cross it over the body so that the ankle catches on the corner. Use the inside arm to push on the knee to straighten the leg, and hold it there for a while (6 seconds? 20 seconds?… whatever feels healthy), then 2) relax by bending the knee for a while (4 seconds? 10 seconds?…) Then start over with the straightened leg.

Do the stretch-relax combination four or five times with each leg.

Don’t overstretch and strain the leg-bicep muscle. If the leg doesn’t straighten under moderate pressure, just “back up” a few inches from the doorway or upright corner until you can straighten the leg with only moderate pressure.

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