Sit All Day? This Yoga Flow Will Change Your Life
If you work at a desk or spend a solid chunk of your day in a car, bus, or train (#commutelife), chances are you've got tight AF hips—and a scrunched-up lower back. Uncomfortable, yes, but also a major hurdle to tackle if you want to hit a new squat personal best or stay injury-free throughout training for your next race.
Though it's easy to get tight all up in your lower back (one of the many effects of sitting a lot), finding fluidity in your spine helps create better mobility throughout your entire body. The Spark Notes: A happy lower back means a bendier, fitter, happier you.
That's where this flow of yoga poses comes in. Each stretch or movement below will encourage your spine to unwind (and relax tight hips, which are a huge part of the problem) in an effort to ease lower back pain and help you move more freely.
As you breathe through this sequence, just make sure not to over-stretch. Use your breath to relax your body into the poses, but honor where you are flexibility-wise right now. Swapping one pain point for another (hello, yoga butt!) isn't part of the workout plan.
Time: 15 minutes
Equipment: mat
Good for: Lower back and hips
Instructions: Focus on your breath and relax as you move through the following poses and stretches. Hold each position for the prescribed amount of time, and then move on to the next. If you spend hours a day sitting or experience lower-back pain or hip tightness, do this flow daily.
Pigeon pose is ~everything~ your lower back needs.
