- Wide Squat
Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips. Bend your knees and lower your hips toward the ground. Bring your palms together at your heart centre, and firmly press your elbows against the inside of your knees, helping to open the hips even further. Shift weight into the heels, lengthening the crown of the head up toward the ceiling, holding for five deep breaths.
- Extended Wide Squat
Release your hands to the floor, walk them away from you as you press your belly toward the floor. Relax your head, staying here for five breaths.
- Half Bound Wide Squat
Walk your hands back to the feet, and lower your right shoulder in front of your right knee. Wrap your armpit around the knee as you reach your right forearm around your lower back with your palm facing away. Reach your left arm toward the ceiling, bend your elbow, and bring the back of your left hand to your lower back. Touch your fingers together if you can, hold your left wrist with your right hand, with the left palm facing behind you. Hold for five deep breaths, looking over the left shoulder.
- Balancing Bound Wide Squat
Bring your gaze forward, and rock your weight from side to side to gain enough momentum to rise up while holding your knee in the bound position. Rock right, left, right, and as you rock left, push into the left foot to straighten the leg and rise to stand. If you lose hold of your right leg, wrap your right arm around it again once you feel stable. If this is too difficult, just clasp both hands around your right knee. Look over the left shoulder for five breaths.
- Flamingo
With your arms holding the bind around your right knee, slowly hinge at the hips, folding forward as far as you can. If this is too difficult, release your hands to the floor, keeping the knee bent. Hold still, breathing for five breaths.
- Extended Hand to Big Toe
Pressing into the left foot, rise up with your bent right knee, and release your arms. Hold the right big toe with the first two fingers and thumb of your right hand, and bring the left hand to your left hip. With the left leg straight and the torso stacked over the pelvis, straighten the right leg out in front of you as much as you can. Enjoy this stretch for five breaths.
- Dancer
Bend the right knee, swing it behind and kick it away as you lean the torso forward, holding onto the arch of your right foot. Draw the belly toward the spine, staying here for five deep breaths.
- Eagle
Release hold of your foot, lift the torso as you swing your right knee forward. Wrap it around your left thigh, and tuck the right toes around your lower left leg. Cross the left elbow over the right then bring your palms together. Hold like this for five breaths, lifting the elbows as high as you can, look at the hands.
- Crouching Eagle
Keeping the legs and arms crossed, bend the knees to squat down and lower the torso, resting your right elbow on your right knee. Hold for five breaths.
- Eagle Warrior 3
Keeping the elbows crossed, uncross the knees, and kick your right leg behind you, bringing the torso parallel with the floor. Actively extend the arms away from you, and engage the abs for five breaths.
- Bent Standing Split
Bend the right knee and fold forward. Lower the right hand to the floor and hold the right toes with your left hand. Pull the knee as high as you can to intensify the quad stretch, holding for five breaths.
- Lunge
Kick the right foot behind you, bending the left knee, and releasing the hands to the floor. Hold this lunge position for five breaths.
- Burning Lunge
Lower your torso, and reach your left arm underneath your bent left knee. Interlace both hands in front of your left ankle. Keep all the weight in your legs, resist the urge to lean into your hands. If this is too hard for your thigh muscle to hold (it’s an intense move!), then rest one or both hands on the floor. Breathe deeply in this low lunge for five breaths.
- Kneeling Quad Stretch
Lower the back knee to the floor. Pull the foot in toward your right hip, holding the top of the foot with your right hand. Rest your left forearm on your left thigh, staying here for five breaths. Release the back leg, and step your right foot forward to meet the left, coming into a Wide Squat. Now repeat this sequence on the left side.
