8 Yoga Poses for Flexibility: A Step by Step Guide

Improving your body’s flexibility can come with many benefits. These include less muscle tension and pain, better posture, and improved circulation. By increasing your flexibility, you can also lower your stress and decrease your risk of injury. Try out these 8 Yoga poses to improve your flexibility and see your body transform.

1.Marjaryasana-Bitilasana: Cat-Cow

Step by Step:

1. Start in a table-top position, on your hands and knees with a neutral spine . Your hands should be placed directly under your shoulders and your knees below your hips.
2. As you inhale, arch your lower back, dropping your abdomen towards the floor. Retract your shoulder blades, letting your chest fall down and forwards, opening it to the front of you. Turn your chin up to the ceiling and let your gaze follow. All of these steps combined make Bitilasana or Cow Pose.
3. As you exhale, tuck your chin into your chest, gazing at your abdomen. Tuck in your chest and ribs, making a hunch on your upper back. Tuck in your pelvis to make one long curve over your entire spine. These steps combined make Marjaryasana, or Cat Pose.
4. Continue moving between these two poses for 10 rounds as you inhale and exhale.

Benefits:

Alternating between Cat and Cow increases flexibility and mobility in your spine, neck, core, and shoulders, making it a powerhouse for improving flexibility in your mid and upper body. 

2.Anjaneyasana: Low Lunge  

Step by Step:

1. Kneel on your left knee and place the right foot flat on the ground in front of you.
2. Shift your weight forward onto the front foot, creating a right angle with the right knee. You should feel a stretch on the front of your left hip and thigh.
3. Keep your spine erect and extend your hands up over your head, reaching towards the ceiling to lengthen your core.
4. Stay in this position for 20-30 seconds before repeating with the opposite leg forward.

Benefits:

Performing the low lunge position opens up the hips, improving flexibility in your hip joints and in your quad muscles. It also improves the flexibility in your spine, chest, and shoulders, by lengthening your core and opening your front body- making this a great position to increase flexibility throughout many parts of your body. 

3.Uttanasana: Standing Forward Fold

Step by Step

1. Start by standing up tall with your feet together, legs straight , and arms straight along the sides of your body.
2. Bending at the hips, fold forward to place your palms beside your feet. If you can’t reach the floor with your hands, place palms on your shin bones or use the help of yoga blocks.
3. The spine should remain neutral and the bend should come from the hips. There should not be a hunch or round in the back.
4. Turn the crown of your head towards the floor to lengthen the spine.

Benefits:

Uttanasana is an intense stretch for the hamstrings and spine. When performed properly, the spine and hamstrings will both be lengthened, improving their flexibility.

4.Adho Mukha Svanasana: Downward Facing Dog

Step by Step:

1. Starting in plank pose, with hands pressed firmly on the mat under your shoulders and feet hip distance apart.
2. Press your hips back to lift them towards the ceiling.
3. Your body should resemble and upside down V shape.

Benefits:

Downward Facing Dog stretches the hamstrings, spine, shoulders, chest, and neck. This is a great pose to increase flexibility throughout the whole body

5.Uttana Shishosana: Puppy Pose 

Step by Step:

1. Start in a table-top position, on your hands and knees with a neutral spine.
2. Keeping your hips and knees in one line, begin walking your hands forwards and letting your chest fall towards the ground.
3. Stay in this position for at least 10-20 seconds.

Benefits:

Puppy Pose uses gravity to increase flexibility in the chest, shoulders, and spine.  This heart opening position increases blood flow throughout your entire front body making it a useful position to increase flexibility and open up the body.

6.Upavistha Konasana: Wide-Angle Seated Forward Fold

Step by Step:

1. Start in a seated position with your legs extended straight in front of you.
2. Keeping the legs straight, move them away from each other, out to the sides, creating a wide angle from your hips.
3. Bending from the hips, fold forward. Bring your chest and abdomen as close to the floor as possible without rounding your spine.
4. Extend the arms forwards, giving even more length to your spine. 

Benefits:

This pose will stretch your hamstrings and lengthen your spine, while also increasing flexibility in your hips.

7.Bhujangasana: Cobra Pose

Step by Step:

1. Start by laying flat on your stomach.
2. Place your hands beside your chest and press the ground to lift up your chest forwards and upwards.
3. Keeping legs straight, continue pressing your ankles or the tops of your feet into the ground.
4. Keep your elbows slightly bent and clip them into the sides of your body.
5. Keep your shoulders depressed away from your ears, lengthening your neck, and turning your chin up to the ceiling.

Benefits:

Cobra Pose stretches the entire front body, increasing flexibility in your spine, chest, shoulders, and neck.

8.Gomukhasana: Cow Face Pose

Step by Step:

1. Start in a seated position with your spine upright.
2. Cross your right leg over your left, placing knee over knee.
3. Bending your left leg, bring your left ankle to your right hip. Then bend your right knee to bring your right ankle to your left hip.
4. Your knees should remain stacked on top of each other and should be in line with the center of your torso.
5. Reach your right arm up to the ceiling and your left arm down to the floor. Both palms should be facing backwards.
6. Bend both arms to interlace your fingers behind your back, opening the chest shoulders.
7. Hold this pose for 20-30 seconds before repeating with your left leg and arm on top.

Benefits:

Gomukhasana, Cow Face Pose, improves flexibility in your whole body. It stretches the thighs, hips, and glute muscles while also stretching your arms and opening up your shoulders and chest.