WEST PALM BEACH (CBS12) — The simple things you can do to start your day off right, and you only need ten minutes!
Yoga guru Angel Lucia with Bindu Yoga Studio joined CBS12's Suzanne Boyd for Mindful Monday with five ways to stretch your spine.
Start by getting centered.. take a deep breath in and exhale. Be aware of your breathing as you go through the motions.
Five Motions for Stretching your Spine:
Axial - A movement that lengthens your spine from base to crown and creates space between the vertebral discs.
On your inhale, reach your arms up and find some length in your spine as if your stretching from your tail to your crown.
Lateral - Whenever you bend to your right or left side. This motion strengthens and stretches your side muscles, improves balance and encourages flexibility in the spine.
From here take a hold of one wrist and bend to the side. This is called a lateral side stretch. Come back up through your center and perform the lateral side stretch to your other side.
Rotation - When you twist and turn your body, rotating your spine. This increases your range of motion and detoxes your organs.
From center reach the arms up and rotate your spine through a twist motion from the navel up, called a spinal rotation. Place one arm behind you and one hand on opposite knee while in the twist and breath deeply. This acts as a cleansing massage for your organs - detoxing through your stretches.
Extension - A movement of the spine that involves reaching your spine upward. Your spinal discs expand in the front and compress in the back, stretching and strengthening your curve.
While seated with hands on your knees begin by arching your back, lift the chest towards the sky stretching the entire front of your entire spine.
Flexion - Still seated with hands on knees use your exhale to round your back bringing chin to chest. Lean back enough to bring the arms towards straight and allow the spine to hammock back to receive the full stretch of the back body.
You'll finish up with any motion that feels good (perhaps some easy neck rolls) and then pause for a few deep breaths before going on with your day!
This routine goes through the five movements of the spine. You want to keep that mobility active, so don't be afraid to try out these stretches!
Watch the segment here!