This month-long mobility program will help you tame joint pain, improve flexibility and move with ease. Get all the details on the challenge here.
Some days you want to plop right down on the floor and stay there. With these four moves, you can at least work on your mobility while you're down there. And that just might lift your energy and help you move through your day with ease.
Each of these floor-based moves from Lore McSpadden-Walker, CPT, founder of Positive Force Movement and host of our 4-Week Mobility Challenge, targets a different joint in your body.
You'll start with crocodile breathing (sounds strange but wait 'til you try it!) to open your chest and ribs, progress to neck nods and circles (great for relieving tension and "tech neck"), stretch your entire spine with clock stretch, then finish up with the 90/90 stretch for your hips.
Below are instructions to walk through one rep of each move. Repeat as many times as feels good and at a pace that works with your body.
If you're especially tight in a specific area, you may want to slow down or not stretch as deeply. Or if something feels really good and you're in the flow, repeat or hold for as long as you'd like. This is your practice!
The orange ball on McSpadden-Walker's back is there to demonstrate the depth of breath. You don't need to place anything on your back unless you'd like to.
"I put various objects — in this case, I used yoga blocks, but you can really use anything — as if I'm in the middle of the clock," McSpadden-Walker says. "I then 'tap' each object with the opposite-side hand and foot."
They add: "You don't need to overthink this, simply get to them in any pain-free way you can. I do this from my back and tummy, then switch sides."
"To go into the stretch, you don't just lower your head: Instead, you reach your bellybutton forward. It's OK to adjust your belly or the angle of your descent to make sure your belly and thighs aren't competing with each other for space. Then press your tailbone backward," McSpadden-Walker says. "You can descend deeper into this stretch along with your breath, and hold for as long as you want."
Follow along with the challenge calendar below or head back to the 4-Week Mobility Challenge for more details.