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– Backbend using a tree to walk carefully down until your palms are flat on the ground. Go much slower than this demo. Be sure to adjust the position of your feet if they need to, as you shift your upper back and get into a full arch. Then, leveraging yourself up again slowly, using your hands on the tree. End with Child’s Pose to counterbalance the deep stretch for your spine. For optimal flexibility and good preparation, watch my other reels about upper body arching, and hip + thigh openers. Breathe, smile and gooo sloooowly!
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– Stretch psoas + thigh muscles, and get hips aligned for proper splits. As always, please GO SLOWLY thru these positions until you have achieved maximum flexibility. Practice your pretzel by first leaning forward, lift back leg, then hold with either hand. Then, start in pigeon and lift back leg. Once your straight/forward split is in full extension, you can move thru middle/straddle split, to the other forward/straight split. End with a full pretzel! As a lifelong dancer and yogini, I am happily maintaining an excellent range of motion by gentle, slow stretching on a regular basis, and strength training.
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– Stretch dancing with a sash around a tree! Use all your stretches – splits, arches, hips, balances, arabesque – and treat the tree and sash like a partner, helping you balance and stretch deeper than you would otherwise. You can change the height of the sash and move your hands closer and further away. I love feeling like the tree is truly my steady partner and I’m able to fly and float and try things that I couldn’t without its stability. Enjoying your practice is the most important point I’m trying to make. So, get outside, GO SLOOOWLY, and stretch your limits!
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