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You’ve got your workout gear on, and are ready to get your sweat on… but not so fast! You need to warm those muscles up before jumping right in.
You wouldn’t just turn your car on in the midst of winter and expect to hit the highway right away would you? The same thing applies for your body. First you need to warm up your muscles, get your heart rate elevated and lubricate the joints.
Lucky for you, I’ve got a new 20 MINUTE PRE-WORKOUT WARM UP yoga class, over on my YouTube channel.
I’ve described 6 of my favorite warm up poses below.
1. Balancing Table Pose
Jump start your balance, lengthen the spine and focus in on coordination with this great starter move. From table top, extend one leg and flex your foot, then reach forward with the opposite arm. Once you have found your balance, exhale to bring knee and elbow to meet, with a slight rounding of the back. Inhale to stretch out, repeat a few cycles, then switch to the other side.
Move through the next four poses all on one side first, and then switch sides. This sequence will stretch your legs out, open up your chest and shoulders, strengthen you core and slowly ease you into working out.
2. Three-legged Dog to Plank Crunch
Make your way into down dog. Once settled, extend the right leg up, while keeping your hips squared to the ground. Float forward to plank pose, tapping your knee to chest. Inhale back, exhale to come forward, this time knee to nose. Inhale back, exhale forward placing the right foot between hands.
3. High lunge
Coming first into a low lunge, clasp hands behind your back. Tucking the toes, lift the knee. For a more full body stretch, reach back with the clasped hands and dive forward with the upper body, creating one long line from crown to toes of the extended leg.
4. Revolved Lunge
Placing the left hand down, open up the chest twisting to the right. Reach to the sky as you try to stack the right shoulder over the left. Maintaining the bend in the front knee, work thigh close to parallel with the ground.
5. Modified Side Plank
Returning left knee and hands to the ground, straighten the right leg out behind you. Once balanced, reach up with right hand. Take this pose further and fire up some extra muscles, by hovering the right leg off the floor.
Repeat poses 2 through 5 on the left side.
6. Thread the needle
Laying on your back with knees bent, lift the right foot, crossing the ankle over the left knee. Loop right hand under right leg, clasping both hands together on the left knee, pulling it towards your stomach. Using your hands only as needed to gently open into the stretch. After a series of slow steady breaths here, this pose can be repeated on the other side.
Looking for a full yoga workout to switch up the routine? Try my Vinyasa Yoga HIIT Strength & Sculpt video.
Struggling with stiff muscles and a lack of flexibility, try my 7 Day Yin Yoga Immersion program ! Open to beginners, receive seven Yin Yoga classes (each 30-60 minutes long) in your inbox! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
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Yoga with Kassandra – Disclaimer
Please consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. By participating in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge Yoga with Kassandra from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of Yoga with Kassandra’s negligence.
