Do you know this pose?
It’s a restorative posture that really helps the body relax and has the power to DE-STRESS your body.
I love this stretch! It’s truly a nourishing, grounding and calming pose for the whole body. When you do this stretch it sends blood flow to your core, eases stress, helps you sleep, calms the mind, relieves swelling in the lower extremity, can decrease the intensity of a headache, lengthens the lower back, relaxes the pelvic floor and improves your digestion. It’s a powerful stretch!
What is it?
It’s pretty much exactly as it looks. It’s a “Legs Up on the Wall” stretch. But, there’s a few important points to make note of before you try it at home. Start by lying on your back with your butt close to the wall. ** It's important to leave a little space between you and the wall so that you’re not at a complete 90 degree angle…doing so can actually impede the circulation at your hips. If you are pregnant I recommend placing a pillow underneath your hips to bring a little elevation to the pelvis** Then simply extend your legs up the wall so that the back of your legs lay flat against it. At this point, relax and try and focus on your breath. Ideally your want to stay in the pose for 5 minutes but if you are a beginner than 2 minutes is a great starting point.
Here are the top 3 reasons you should incorporate this stretch into your regular routine:
It’s super calming for your nervous system. When you combine the posture of your legs up on the wall, with focused breathing it taps into your “rest & digest” nervous system response. In this state you will help your body with digestion and turn on the healing response in your body.
Reduces swelling and increases circulation in the legs. If you are prone to any fluid build up in your legs this stretch is for you. The stretch helps fluid drain from the lower extremity and helps facilitate the return of blood back to the heart.back.
It alleviates tension in the legs & lower back. It is a lengthening stretch. So many activities in life cause compression and this stretch does the exact opposite.
My favourite time to do this stretch is at the end of the day. So tonight, lay back and give it a try….you can thank me later ;)