Every yoga class I’ve taught has had a few, if not several lunges in them. The lunge is a simple and easy way to stretch several muscles in your legs including the thigh and groin muscles including the psoas. There
Arm stretch in eagle pose
Speaking of shoulder stretches, the arm position from garuda or eagle pose is an easy way to stretch your shoulders and upper back – even while you’re sitting at the desk, in front of the TV or on the ferry. While sitting
Wide leg forward bend with a twist
I’ve featured this pose before but thought I would show this one with the optional twist. Prasarita paddotanasana (wide legged forward bend). Good for hips, hamstring and groin stretch and when you add in the twist – great for spine
Tree pose 101
I do a lot of tramping with Tony Gazley who always carries his camera. These days, every time we get to a scenic spot – we both think yoga pose! The first one that always comes to mind is tree
Warrior II 101
Warrior 2, or virabhadrasana 2, is one of the most common poses and you’ll find it in just about every class more than once. It’s excellent for both strengthening and stretching the legs, as well the upper body and arms.
Seated spinal twists
Spinal twists can help relieve back pain and sometimes help even out muscle tension in the back – here are a couple of variations that might be familiar. Sit down on the floor with both legs extended in front of
Using the back muscles in cobra pose
Every class always has a few sun salutations which combine several yoga poses. Cobra, or bhujangasana, is one of those poses that we often flow through quickly. But it’s quite a useful pose for stretching the front of the body
Some challenges and tips for one leg balance
Balance isn’t just important for trampers – it’s essential for us all. Working on your balance uses the muscles around your joints helping them to gain strength and ultimately protect your joints. I recently went tramping in the Tararuas just beyond
Seated stretch for hamstrings and beyond
Bending over can be quite hard if your hamstrings (the backs of your thighs) are tight. You’ll regularly hear me suggest that you bend your knees in all types of postures when we bend or fold forward, so that you
Stretching the hips while resting
Last week, I talked about viparita karani or legs up the wall as a great recovery pose. There are a lot of variations you can do while resting in this pose that offer a stretch. This particular variation offers an