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A 15-minute stretch to start your day

This is an excerpt from Yin Yoga 50+ by Paul Steele.

You’ve seen how a cat stretches when it wakes up, so why shouldn’t you do the same? This short flow gets you ready for the day, and you don’t even need to get out of bed to do it.

Pose 1: Reclining butterfly
Hands by your sides or behind your head for two to three minutes


You’re bound to be feeling tight when you wake up. So just couple your hands behind your head, drag your feet up so they are flat, then put the soles of your feet together and let your legs flop. After a while you’ll feel the benefit in your hips.

After a couple of minutes, uncouple your hands and use your palms to push your knees together. Stay like this for a few seconds up to a minute.

Pose 2: Child’s pose

Three minutes 


This is a lovely way to get that cat-like stretch into your lower back, your knees, hips, and ankles.

Flip onto your stomach then come up onto your knees and palms before pushing your hips back. 
Keep your knees apart and your feet together. 
Now breathe and enjoy.

When you’ve finished, lie down onto your back.

Pose 3: Cat pulling its tail
Two minutes each side


Now let’s pull a bit at our hip flexors to wake them up. You might want to prop yourself up on your right elbow. Slide your left leg over your right leg, then grab hold of your right foot.

Pull your foot until you feel the stretch in the top
of your hips.

After a couple of minutes let go and pull the other foot. Roll onto your back when you’ve finished.

Pose 4: Pull your knees to your stomach
Three minutes


As the name says, just grab hold of your knees and pull them to your chest. If you want, you can pull one leg at a time into your chest to give your stomach muscles a workout before you get out of bed.

Savasana
Three minutes

Once you’ve released your knees, relax back into Savasana, and concentrate on deep breathing to help you relax before you get out of bed.

Now pop into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

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