As a long-time resident of a 5-floor walk-up apartment, a non-driving New Yorker, a yoga teacher, and doggy mom, I’d like to think of myself as an expert when it comes to leg therapy. The yoga poses below are my absolute favorite poses to do after a long day or week, or after a long day of travel. I officially call it, my “leg therapy sequence.”
These yoga poses are great for runners because they target the hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, sides of the legs, and outer hips.
You’ll need:
Hold each pose for approximately 10 deep breaths and repeat on the other side.
1. Reclined Hand-to-big-toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)
Start on your back, with feet flat on the ground and knees bent.
Hug the right knee to your chest.
Wrap the strap around the sole of the right foot (grabbing both ends of the strap with the right hand) and straighten the leg up towards the ceiling.
Keep the leg perpendicular to the floor, the foot flexed, and actively reach the heel up.
From here, you can either stay with your left foot flat, or straighten your left leg forward.
If you’re straightening the opposite leg forward, keep the leg active. Engage the top of the thigh and keep your left toes pointing up.
2. Revolved Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose (Parivrtta Supta Padangusthasana)
From (Supta Padangusthasana), grab both ends of the strap with your left hand
Reach the right arm out towards the right.
Take the right leg across the body and towards the left.
Keep the right foot flexed, and let your left foot roll out to the left.
3. Ankle to Knee Stretch
Come back to starting position, lying on the floor with soles of the feet on the ground and knees bent.
Lift the right foot up and place the right ankle on top of the left thigh, forming a figure 4 shape.
If you’re already feeling a big stretch here, this is a good place to stop. Otherwise, go ahead and thread the needle.
Keeping the figure 4 shape, pick the left foot up and interlace your fingers behind the left thigh, or on top of the left shin.
Flex the right foot, and relax the left foot.
If you notice your shoulders coming off the ground as you thread the needle, place a folded towel or blanket under your head for support.
4. Reclined Eagle Pose
Come back to starting position, lying on the floor with soles of the feet on the ground and knees bent.
Cross the right thigh over your left thigh.
With your legs crossed, draw the knees towards the chest.
Lift your head and shoulders off the mat, and reach for the outer edges of your feet (hands on top of the foot).
Now, lower the head and shoulders back down.
As in ankle-to-knee pose, if your shoulders come off the ground, causing your chin to stick out, place a folded blanket, towel, or skinny block under your head to keep your neck neutral.
5. Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Start in tabletop position (hands and knees).
Walk your hands forward a few inches, then lift your knees, then your hips up and back.
Position your feet so that they are hip’s distance, and your toes pointing forward.
Firm your thighs but keep your knees slightly bent.
Position your hands so that they are shoulder’s distance.
Spread the fingers and root down through the inner hands (index finger and thumb).
Push away from the ground away to create length along the torso.
Engage your core (keep the lower ribs in).
6. Lizard Pose
From downdog, step the right foot forward between the hands.
Slide the right foot over to the right, so that both hands are on the inside of the right foot.
Lower the back knee, then slide it back a few inches so that it sits right behind the left hip.
Keep the right knee above the right ankle, and hug the inner right knee into the right outer arm (and vice versa).
Keep your chest forward.
7. Twisted Lizard Pose
From Lizard pose, bend the left knee, bringing the left heel towards the left butt.
Reach your right arm back and grab your left foot. If you aren’t able to grab the foot, keep the back knee bent. The stretch will be good enough.
Open your chest towards your right.
8. Half Split (Ardha Hanumanasana)
From Lizard pose, walk the right foot back towards the center (between your hands).
Straighten your right leg, as you walk your hands back towards the hips.
Keep your left hip over your left knee, and draw your chest forward.
If your low back rounds, use two blocks under your hands to create space in the torso.
Flex the right foot and keep a microbend in the right knee.
9. Standing Cross-Legged Forward Fold
Begin in standing position.
Cross your right leg behind the left leg, and place your right foot next to the left foot (with small toes next to one another).
Place your hands on your hips and start to hinge forward.
Shift the weight towards the toes so that the hips stack over the feet.
Place your hands either on the floor, or on two blocks.
10. Supported Bridge Pose Variation
Start on the back, with the soles of the feet on the ground and knees bent.
Lift your hips and place a block on the lowest height under your sacrum (the lowest part of your spine), not your low back.
Straighten your legs forward so that the heels are on the floor and the toes point up.
Reach your arms up and by the ears, or keep them down by the sides.
Thanks for these I suffer from joint issues (probably my age) lol I will definitely be trying some of these out before and after my runs
As a yogi and a runner, these are incredibly helpful!
Isabella David Vintage
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