Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds, then exit the bow pose on an exhale breath. You may repeat the pose several times for better results. Once your body adjusts to this level of stretching, a more advanced move would be to reach farther up and grab the tips of your toes. This will pull your legs more upward toward the ceiling, and stretch all of the muscles being used even further.
For an extra back stretch, slowly slide your arms forward on the mat while arching your back until you get your arms and chest to touch the ground.
Keep your leg muscles tensed and thigh muscles contracted. Hold the position for at least 40 seconds and let your muscles stretch with the pose. Once you become comfortable with this pose, you can try bending your legs upward at the knees and reaching your head back to touch your toes.
Hold this pose for one to two minutes while you inhale and exhale. Inhaling will expand your stretch and be very beneficial for your back muscles.
Pull your elbows together behind you and lift your sternum up toward the ceiling. This will open up your chest and initiate a nice stretch in your back. If you cannot sink backwards enough to reach your heels, use an exercise ball, yoga block, or other props to support your back.
The goal is not actually to reach your toes but to straighten and lengthen the back. A mistake in form is to be focused on the feet rather than the back. This is a back exercise, not a foot-grabbing game. Use props to get the form proper. Thera bands, rolled up towels, and belts can all be wrapped around the feet to get into a modified form. As an alternate method, you can try the pike stretch from a standing position. While standing erect, bend forward at the waist and reach towards the ground. Bend forward far enough to feel a comfortable stretch in the back and legs.
Hold the pose for 20-30 seconds, then repeat the movement several times. Be sure to switch sides, with your legs under your body to the right and your left arm extending over your head.
If desired, you may place a support prop, such as a yoga block, underneath your buttocks to help support your body in this pose. However, doing this will eliminate or reduce the strength component of this exercise.
Bring your left arm over your body and try to touch your right foot. Hold this position, then turn as far as you can to the right and hold again. All of your muscles work in tandem together – so stretching your other muscles (like your leg and core muscles) will help improve back flexibility. Having a strong core will allow you to work on your back flexibility by being able to engage in more poses and stretch further into your poses.
From this position, try slowly going down into the splits. Go down as far as you can without hurting yourself and hold this position for 30 seconds.
Don’t try to force yourself too hard into stretches you can’t handle. You don’t want to injure yourself.
