Relax with Legs Up the Wall yoga pose

Want to relax with a simple stretch that literally releases from head to toe?  Isn’t difficult and doesn’t require particular effort?  Introducing the Legs Up the Wall yoga pose.

While I have attempted yoga at various times in my life, my restless mind and busy body have always required more energetic outlets like boxing and lifting heavy stuff.  And now at age 51, I’m paying the price for that lack of mobility.

Stretching requires its own discipline and is usually one of the essential forms of exercise that is easily overlooked and ends up low on the list of to-do’s.

Time for a change.

All my Pilates clients are used to incorporating well known yoga stretches like childs pose, cobra stretches and chest openers as a standard part of class and these practical stretches can be done anytime and anywhere providing many benefits from a simple practice.

A new stretch I’d encourage you try is the aptly named Legs Up the Wall pose.

The most difficult part of this stretch is wriggling into position so that your bottom is close enough to the wall so that you can extend your legs flat.

Once in position reach your arms overhead to incorporate a stretch from fingertips to toes.  Modifications for your comfort could include a small pillow under the head or hips.

Stay focused on your breath and relax. Nothing to do here – you just need to ‘be’.

If you’re very tight through your lower back and hamstrings then it’ll take some time to let the legs relax enough to straighten against the wall.  No pushing or force please – breathe into the position and let time relax your legs.

And for those of us who are tight through the thoracic spine and neck (upper back) then reaching those arms behind the head will take some concentrating and mindful breathing to allow the arms to relax gradually toward the floor.

In terms of allowing your spine to naturally relax, I’m hard pressed to think of another pose that so easily allows a release for tight upper body muscles.  If this feels too constricting in your neck, slowly bring the arms down by your side (slowly!!!!) for a few moments and then return the arms overhead.

This yoga pose is a restorative pose so your aim is to hold the pose for time.  Start with a bare minimum of 2 minutes if you’re very tight and work your way up to 5 minutes.  Longer if you’re relaxing.

There are many benefits to this pose including muscular release, neural release (nerve stretch) and emotional release.  The pose is designed to allow you to calm your mind and with practice you may even find this as helpful as a meditation sesh.  (I’m not there yet – boxing is still my meditation :)).

If you spend a lot of time on your feet you’ll reduce pressure and tension in your lower body and if you carry a lot of extra fluid, you’ll see this reduce dramatically.

Like Wall Stick Ups – this stretch is sneaky. If your body is tight then it’ll take time to fully appreciate the many benefits of this stretch.  But stay with it and you’ll soon look forward to this refreshing pose, I’d recommend this exercise at least once a week to start with – more often if you are very tense and tight.